Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette
by Lilac Moon
Summary: 20th in the Forever Destined Vignette series. A week has passed since the events in Testing the Waters and the Senate is still in uproar. Meanwhile, Bane's associate, Chase, sets his sights on Zia and Mara and he has ransom on his mind.
1. Part 1 of 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Hey everyone! I'm back with another vignette and I can't believe it, but it's number 20! Wow, the twentieth vignette and this series is still going strong. So, without further ado, here's the beginning of another great story in this awesome series. Enjoy and as always, let me know what you think!

Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 1/?

"The tragedy that happened at the Opera House a week ago is unacceptable! We must do more to stop such things from happening!" one Senator called during the open floor debate.

"It is as I have been saying for years!" another called. Padme glared at the human male from a planet she couldn't recall off hand. She couldn't even remember his name, but she knew he had once been loyal to Palpatine.

"The Jedi have become more and more ineffective! The Senate should have more involvement into their dealings! Why is it that they steadfastly refuse to allow us to appoint a liaison to oversee their secretive Council meetings? Whatever could they be discussing that we cannot be privy to!" he ranted. Padme fumed.

"I assure you that the Council is hiding nothing and they make weekly reports to Chancellor Iblis through Jedi Master Dooku. They do not need us telling them what to make of the vibrations in the Force when they are the ones trained to interpret it. What happened was a tragedy, but without the Jedi, it would have been far worse. They cannot save everyone, but it is because of them that evil does not rule us," Padme said.

"You are hardly one to speak on behalf of the Council, Senator _Skywalker_. You are far too biased, being that you're practically in bed with the Council," he sneered back.

"You are out of line, Senator Melka," Bel warned sternly.

"Padme's marriage to Jedi Skywalker has no bearing on this matter. She is right. The Council doesn't need a politician sitting in on their meetings where they discuss the matters of the order. The Jedi are a pillar of truth and strength. We were caught off guard the other night, but we will not dishonor those that perished by sitting idly by," Bail said.

"I concur with Senator Organa. This rogue they call Bane is unpredictable at best. Only the Jedi are capable and trained to deal with someone like him and his cohorts," Clovis added.

"Chancellor, are you really satisfied with the level of protection, or lack thereof, that the Jedi are providing us?" Melka questioned. Bel glared at him.

"Considering that the Jedi are, as always, patrolling now as we speak, my answer is yes. Master Dooku informed me this morning that Jedi and Clone patrols have been increased by forty percent and will increase even more, as they reassign their forces over the next few weeks. Bane will be found and brought to justice. This session is dismissed," Bel concluded, as he adjourned them.

~*~

"The mass of training remotes that whirred in the air fell to a broken mess one by one, as Anakin and Luke made quick work of them. The training simulation ceased at the destruction of the last remote and father and son extinguished their light sabers. Luke rubbed the stinging minor burn mark on his forearm gingerly.

"How come you had to increase the intensity of the lasers on the remotes?" Luke asked in annoyance.

"How many times did you get stung today?" Anakin asked in return.

"Once," Luke answered.

"How many times last week?" Anakin questioned.

"Three times," Luke answered again.

"And how many times two weeks ago?" Anakin asked.

"Seven," Luke mumbled.

"Then you're learning!" Anakin replied, patting him soundly on the back. Luke looked less than thrilled.

"Thanks Dad," he said, as Mace and Mara entered the gym for their training session. Anakin smiled to himself, as he felt Luke's heartbeat quicken through the Force, as Mara flashed him a smile.

"I'm going to go talk to Master Windu for a moment and then we'll go home, so Mom can rub some owie cream on that burn for you," Anakin said. Mara snickered and Luke looked mortified.

"Dad, I don't need Mom to treat it," he insisted.

"It's nothing," he added in vehement.

"Maybe, but your Mom will spot that little burn the minute we enter and she will make you let her treat it. You know how she is," Anakin replied. It was true. His Mother had a thing about nursing their wounds, no matter how minor they were.

"Oh wait, what was your count?" Anakin asked.

"Dad…" Luke whined with an eye roll.

"It's just a little friendly competition, son. Now how many remotes did you destroy?" he asked. Luke rolled his eyes again.

"Seventeen, which means you had twenty-three, because there were forty remotes," Luke stated.

"Not bad. You're closing the gap between us," Anakin replied. Mara giggled.

"Your Dad is fun," she said once they were alone.

"Yeah, he's great when he's not kicking my butt in training or rather, letting the remotes kick it like today," Luke replied.

"Yeah, but I wish my Dad was more like yours sometimes. He makes training fun," Mara said.

"Your Dad is great too," Luke said.

"Yeah, he is and I love him, but I guess it's strange, because he has a really hard time expressing his emotions sometimes. He's more relaxed and open at home, but in public, he's all business," Mara replied.

"Yeah, but that's not all bad. Some argue that sometimes my Dad has too much passion and emotion," Luke said.

"Yeah, but that argument doesn't hold much water, considering he's the Slayer of Sith and all," Mara replied.

"Very true, but don't let him hear you call him that," Luke warned.

"Mara, let's go," Mace called.

"See ya round, Skywalker," Mara said, as she went to train. Anakin smirked at his son knowingly.

"What?" Luke questioned.

"Nothing. Just wondering if you're ever going to get up the courage to ask her out," Anakin replied, enjoying the horrified look on Luke's face, as he turned red.

"Dad…I'm not interested in Mara," Luke lied.

"It's pretty obvious that you like her and that's okay. You just need to do something about it," Anakin replied.

"If I ask Mara out, she'll laugh at me and then she'll probably punch me," he said.

"Two years ago, she probably would have, but she's becoming a young woman now. It's okay if you like each other and it's perfectly normal if you want to start dating girls," Anakin explained.

"You're not going to give me the talk again, are you?" he asked.

"No. Your little brother is next on my list for that," Anakin replied.

"Good, because I think I'd rather be pelted by lasers than go through that embarrassment again," Luke said.

"It's supposed to be embarrassing. I was mortified when your Grandfather gave me the talk too. But it's important to wait for the right woman. Believe me, I wish I would have waited for your Mom. It's also important to be responsible," Anakin told him. Luke rolled his eyes.

"I thought you said you weren't going to talk to me about this stuff," Luke complained. Anakin chuckled.

"Okay, I'm done. Let's go home," Anakin replied.

~*~

As Anakin arrived home with four of their children, he noticed that Clovis was there, picking up Jake. His mood soured a little, as he realized that Leia had probably brought Jake home from school and spent the afternoon with him.

"See you tomorrow at school," Jake said, as he bid Leia goodbye.

"All right. Goodbye," Leia replied, as she hugged him. Jake looked nervous under Anakin's gaze and quickly got into his Uncle's speeder.

"Okay, you have about an hour until we leave for dinner, so make sure you're washed up by then," Padme told their children, as she headed back to the kitchen. But not before calling to Luke.

"Oh Luke honey, I'll put some owie cream on that little burn on your arm before we leave," Padme told him. Luke let out a loud sigh of exasperation, causing his siblings to snicker. Anakin chuckled, as they went into the kitchen together.

"Wow, it smells good in here," Anakin said, as his hand reached for the bowl of frosting that was sitting next to a freshly baked chocolate cake. But Padme smacked his hand away.

"No you don't. We're coming back here for dessert after we go to dinner," she scolded.

"We are?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"I told you last night that we're all going to Dex's tonight for dinner and then I invited Mace and his family back here afterwards. Obi-Wan and Sola are coming too. I guess you weren't listening," she replied.

"I was listening…I just forgot. Luke should have reminded me, because that's what padawans are for," Anakin replied in his defense. Padme gave him a chiding look, as he snaked his arms around her waist.

"Besides, you should know by now that you shouldn't tell me things you want me to remember when you're wearing a sexy little negligee like you were last night," he said, as he kissed her neck. She giggled.

"It was just a nightgown," she replied.

"There was curve hugging and cleavage," he argued, making her laugh.

"You are so bad. But I'll remember to make sure I'm fully clothed next time I tell you something of importance," she joked, as she stirred the frosting.

"You better," he joked back, as he kissed her cheek and they went upstairs to clean up for dinner.

~*~

Chase Munez loitered outside the establishment known as Dex's Diner, as he prepared to make contact with his targets. He had just reported to Bane on his progress and his boss was getting impatient. But tonight was the night he made himself known. He'd been following Zia for almost a week and watching her work with her partner, whom he had learned was Riley Zander. He hadn't met Zander, but knew him by reputation from his days as a smuggler and bounty hunter, before he had turned into a Jedi ally. He had been very careful as to not alert either of them to his presence and never got near Zia when she was anywhere near her Jedi husband. But tonight, that was all about to change and he was only moments away of turning Zia's and her daughter's life upside down. He smirked. This would actually be quite entertaining. As he entered, his eyes scanned the diner and it did not take him long to find them. They were sitting at a large table in the back with friends. Chase recognized Skywalker, Kenobi, Windu, and Zander. A lovely little family outing. How quaint. It was nauseating and made him glad he had never settled down with any woman, because he couldn't imagine such an abhorrent existence. As Zia got up to go up to the bar for a refill on her drink, he saw his opening and moved in.

"Zia Jade…you haven't changed at all in the last fifteen years. But I shouldn't be surprised, because to this day, you're still one of the most beautiful women I've ever been with," he said, as he approached her at the bar. Zia looked at him and suddenly grew very nervous, as she recognized the man instantly.

"Chase…" she said. He smirked.

"Glad to see that you haven't forgotten me. I'll take a Corellian brandy," he ordered to Dex, as he dropped some credits on the bar. Dex watched him suspiciously, but reluctantly went to get his drink.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I've…recently got out of the business and I'm trying to clean up my life. I thought a good way to start would be to right a few wrongs. And luckily, you're not that hard to track down these days," he said.

"Well, things turned out very well for me, so consider this wrong righted," Zia said quickly, as she prepared to return to her table.

"Zia wait…" he called. She stopped reluctantly.

"I want to meet her," he stated. She turned and shook her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zia replied too quickly.

"My daughter. I want to meet her," he stated.

"She's not your daughter. Mace is her father," Zia retorted.

"Not biologically," he replied.

"It doesn't matter. You told me to get lost when you found out I was pregnant. You threw me out and left me pregnant with little to no money and just my ship to live in. You lost your rights to be her father when you dumped us," Zia spat. She had drawn Mace's attention and he calmly approached, giving the man a stern gaze. And Chase had to admit that what they said about him was true. He carried a formidable presence and was almost more intimidating than Skywalker.

"Zia, are you okay?" he asked his wife calmly, as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine. We should just go back to Padme's now," Zia replied.

"You must be the esteemed Mace Windu," Chase said.

"And you are?" Mace questioned.

"Chase," he replied simply.

"Ah, Chase Munez," Mace said.

"Then she told you about me," he stated. Mace's gazed turned icy.

"Oh yes, she told me all about you, which means that you should leave…now," Mace almost growled. Chase smirked.

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere until I get to meet my daughter," Chase replied.

"She's not your daughter," Mace snapped.

"Whether you like it or not, technically she is and I'm trying to turn my life around. It was a mistake to ever let you go, Zia. But at least I can correct one mistake by getting to know my daughter," Chase said.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Mara asked, as she approached.

"It's fine honey. Go sit back down with the other kids," Zia told her. Mara looked at the brown haired, shady looking man that her father was glaring at with curiosity.

"Hello Mara, it's nice to finally meet you," he said.

"Don't talk to her," Zia snapped, as she ushered her daughter away.

"Leave now," Mace ordered.

"This is a public establishment. I have just as much right to be here as the rest of you," Chase replied.

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to throw you out," Riley said, as he approached.

"Riley Zander, your reputation precedes you. It's nice to finally meet you in person," Chase said.

"Get out. Your kind isn't wanted here," Riley retorted.

"It's as I told Zia, I've turned my life around and I'm working to make amends with those that I have wronged. Or are you the only one allowed to turn over a new leaf, Zander?" Chase questioned.

"Look, I don't care if you really have changed. I don't want anything to do with you and I don't want you near my daughter," Zia hissed at him.

"She's fifteen. Don't you think she should be allowed to decide?" Chase asked.

"No, I don't. Leave now," Zia told him again, as she went to get her daughter. Padme and Sola were rounding up the rest of the kids, as they prepared to leave.

"Mom, who is that man?" Mara asked.

"No one important," Zia replied.

"She's lying to you, young one. What she doesn't want you to know is that I'm your biological father!" Chase called.

"No…you threw me away like trash and left me pregnant with nothing! You didn't want us then and you can't have us now. And that's just fine with me, because we don't want you! Mace is her father and you better stay away from us!" Zia yelled, as she led Mara out the back with everyone else.

"Stay away from my family," Mace warned, as he followed. Chase smirked and gulped his drink down. The girl had a curious look in her eye, which meant she would give him the opportunity he needed to snatch her for his boss. Then Mace and Zia would be forced to ask Count Dooku for his ransom demand. He would pay his boss, take his cut, and he would have his freedom. And the irony was that his own flesh and blood was the means to his own financial independence…


	2. Part 2 of 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. It's a little redundant, but I have to say it. As always, I invite you into my own little AU sandbox to play.

AN: Here's part 2! Thanks for all the great reviews! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 2/?

"Hey Mara…are you okay?" Luke asked, as they sat in the rec room, while their parents were all out in the living room.

"Of course she's not okay, laser brain. She just found out her real father is a scoundrel," Leia blurted out.

"Leia…that was mean," Luke scolded.

"I mean…I didn't mean that Mara. I'm sorry," Leia apologized.

"It's okay. I wouldn't expect any of you to understand. Your real father is Anakin Skywalker," Mara replied bitterly.

"And yours is Mace Windu," Luke said.

"Not biologically. You heard that man. He's my real father!" Mara yelled, as she turned away.

"No…Master Windu, one of the Order's greatest Jedi is your father," Luke tried to reason with her.

"Luke is right. That man that showed up at Dex's threw away his chance to be your Dad, so don't feel that you have to give him the same consideration that he denied your Mom when she was pregnant with you, even if he somehow has changed," Leia said.

"It's like I said before, none of you understand, because you're real father raised you and he's not going to just show up like mine just did," Mara ranted. Luke rolled his eyes. He understood that she was upset, but she could be very unreasonable when she was.

"Well, maybe they don't understand…but I do. I don't know who either of my real parents are," Natalie said. Mara looked at her.

"So if one of them showed up one day…what would you do?" the red head asked.

"I don't know. I would probably want to know why they abandoned me in an alleyway to die first. But I do like to think that I wouldn't shun the people around me that loved me, just because I was angry. My parents might not be mine by blood, but they love me so much that they've given me everything as if I were. Your father, Master Windu, loves you like his own," Natalie said.

"Natalie is right. It doesn't matter what kind of beginnings you have, but only that you have people around you that love you, whether they're related by blood or not," Jayden replied, as he smiled at Natalie, who smiled back.

"Ugh…could you two get any more nauseating?" Mara asked, as she walked toward the door.

"Oh just wait, I'm sure they'll only get worse," Jenna said.

"You're just jealous, because no boy in the Temple will go near you. They're afraid you'll bite," Jayden retorted. Jenna gasped.

"You take that back, you Shaak butt!" Jenna yelled.

"Make me!" Jayden called.

"Maybe I will," Jenna threatened.

"If you two get into another fight, Mom is going to ground you again," Leia warned.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked Mara.

"I'm going to see my Mom and…Dad," she replied, as she left, making both Luke and Leia smile.

"I'm glad I got through to her," Leia mentioned.

"You? I was the one she listened to," Luke replied.

"Um…I think it was what Natalie said that got through to her," Jayden added.

"Whatever. I'm going to comm Jake," Leia announced, making them all groan.

"Great…she's going to tie up the channels for hours again," Kimberly complained.

"Like you have anyone to talk to," Leia sniped back. Kimberly, the most sensitive one of them, lowered her head.

"That was mean Leia. Kimberly has lots of friends, because she's nice, unlike you," Luke replied.

"I'll have you know that, because I'm dating Jake, I'm one of the most popular girls on campus," Leia said indignantly.

"None of those people are real friends. Jake likes you, but they just hang around with you, because of Jake. I can sense it," Kimberly argued.

"Keep out of it Kim. I don't need advice from my lame little sister," Leia spat. Kimberly looked truly hurt, for Leia had never spoken to her like that before and she quietly slunk out of the room.

"You are unbelievable! I can't believe you would talk to her like that! She's always so sweet and she looks up to! But ever since you started hanging out with Jake's crowd, you've started to change and no one likes the new Leia," Luke spat. Leia glared at him.

"Whatever Luke. I'm going to talk to Jake now, so the rest of you can just leave me alone," Leia spat back.

"Should we go see if Kimberly is okay?" Natalie asked.

"We could, but Dad will probably pick up on Kimberly's distress right away. We can let him deal with Leia," Luke said, with a smirk.

"Yeah, if there's one person who can supersede Leia's pull over Dad, it's his little Kimmie," Jayden replied.

"Yeah, now we get to sit back and watch the fireworks. Twenty credits says Leia is grounded by the end of the night," Luke said.

"I don't know. I mean, Mom might ground her, but you think Dad actually will? He's never grounded Leia. He always makes Mom do it," Jenna reasoned.

"Kimberly's probably giving him the sad eyes right now," Jayden reminded her, causing Jenna to smirk.

"Let's go to the kitchen for some of Mom's cake so we can watch the show," Jenna said. Natalie shook her head.

"You guys…" she chided.

"Oh come on Nat, you can't tell me that Leia doesn't deserve to get grounded after the attitude she's had lately. She's so into herself and that's not how Mom and Dad raised us to be," Jayden reminded.

"I guess you're right. She has been a pain ever since she's been dating that smooth talking nerf brain," Natalie replied.

"Well, he may be a nerf brain, but you have to admit that he's a gorgeous nerf brain. Leia does have taste," Jenna mentioned, as they filed out.

"Ugh…please," Jayden protested in disgust.

"He's not nearly as gorgeous as you, Jay," she told him sweetly, making him blush. It was Jenna's turn to groan.

"Please…I'm trying to keep my dinner down," Jenna said, looking green.

~*~

"Mara…sweetie, are you okay?" Zia asked.

"Yeah…" she said, as she approached Mace.

"Can we go home…Dad?" she asked. Mace allowed himself a small smile and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Of course young one," he replied. Anakin and Padme bid the small family goodnight, as they left for their own home.

"Well, never a dull evening," Obi-Wan said, as they spotted Kimberly sulking up the stairs.

"Kimberly…what's wrong?" Anakin asked.

"N…nothing. I'm okay," she said unconvincingly, as she ran up to her room.

"Uh oh, looks like someone got their feelings hurt," Sola said.

"What do you four know about this?" Padme asked Luke and the others, as they headed toward the kitchen.

"Leia yelled and said some mean things to Kimberly. Then she went to talk to Jake on the comm," Luke reported. Anakin sighed.

"Her attitude as of late has been unacceptable," Padme said.

"Let's go talk to Kimberly and then we'll talk to Leia," Anakin replied, as they joined hands and went upstairs.

"You four think there's going to be show, don't you?" Sola asked. They looked guilty.

"Let's all go to the kitchen and have our cake, while your parents deal with your sisters," Sola ordered, as she and Obi-Wan ushered them into the kitchen.

~*~

"Kimberly…can we come in?" Anakin called through the door.

"Sure…I guess," Kimberly answered dejectedly.

"Sweetheart…what's wrong?" Padme asked, as she sat down on her daughter's bed.

"It's nothing. I poked my nose in Leia's business and I shouldn't have," Kimberly replied.

"Luke said that she said mean things to you and there's no call for that. Want to tell us what happened?" Anakin asked.

"I…sort of told her that the people Jake hangs out with aren't her real friends. I sensed that they don't really like her and they only pretend to be friends with her, because of Jake. She got mad and said she wasn't going to take advice from her lame little sister," Kimberly explained.

"Well, that was uncalled for and Daddy and I are going to talk to her," Padme said. Kimberly sighed, feeling silly now.

"She'll just think I'm a baby now, because I tattled on her," Kimberly said.

"You're not a baby anymore, as much as I wish that you were, tiny angel," Anakin said, as he sat down beside her.

"Things just affect you a little more than others sometimes, but I don't want you to ever ignore the feelings that the Force conveys to you. Your empathy is a gift and not a curse. If Leia was acting like herself right now, then she would listen to you," Anakin told her.

"Your father is right. Now why don't you come downstairs and your Aunt Sola will get you some cake," Padme told her. Kimberly smiled.

"Is it chocolate with Shuura frosting?" she asked. Padme smiled.

"Of course," Padme replied, as they followed her downstairs.

"Save a piece for me, tiny angel," Anakin called.

"Daddy, do you have to call me that? I'm fourteen," Kimberly reminded him.

"Sorry, but you'll always be my tiny angel," he replied, as she went into the kitchen.

"Leia Skywalker…you come out here right now," Padme called into the rec room.

"_In a minute, Mom,"_ Leia called back.

"No Leia…now…" Anakin called seriously. But Anakin and Padme waited several minutes, while their oldest daughter ignored them.

"I don't believe her. She's never acted like this. What are we going to do?" Padme asked.

"I blame Jake," Anakin replied, as he walked over to the main comm screen in their home.

"Leia is responsible for her actions too. We can't just blame Jake," Padme told him.

"I know and we won't. I'm just going to get her attention and then we're going to get this boy out of her system," Anakin said, as he opened the control panel and dug his fingers into the wires.

"What are you doing?" she asked. He smirked.

"Taking control of the comm system in the rec room and re-routing the signal," he replied, as suddenly, Jake and Leia both appeared on the screen. Leia looked mortified.

"Dad…what are you doing?" she cried.

"Getting your attention," Anakin replied, as he turned his attention to Jake.

"Leia has to go. Don't call her, because she's grounded," Anakin told him. Jake gulped nervously.

"Yes Sir. Bye Leia," he said, as his end of the signal went dark.

"Daddy…I can't believe you did that!" Leia cried.

"Get out here and we'll discuss this now," he told her. Leia yelled in frustration, as she stormed out into the living area.

"Sit down and check you attitude," Anakin ordered. Leia huffed and plopped down on the sofa.

"How could you embarrass me like that?" Leia yelled to her father.

"When did you feel that it was okay to treat your little sister like dirt?" Anakin countered.

"She is such a little baby," Leia yelled.

"No, you're the only one acting like a baby right now. I think you've been hanging around with Jake's friends a little too much, because they seem to be quite the poor influence on you," Padme told her sternly.

"Well, I guess I'm not perfect like you," Leia sniped back.

"Don't talk to your mother like that," Anakin snapped, as sternly as Leia had ever heard him speak.

"You're grounded," Anakin announced. Leia looked outraged.

"For how long?" she asked.

"Until you can learn to respect your Mother and me, and your siblings," he responded.

"But I was supposed to go to a party with Jake this weekend!" Leia exclaimed.

"What party?" Padme asked.

"He and his friends are going to Club Nova this weekend to celebrate his life day. I _have_ to go," Leia insisted.

"Exactly when did you plan to ask permission or better yet, what made you think that we'd let you go to a place like Club Nova in the first place?" Anakin questioned.

"Dad…everyone at school hangs out at Club Nova. What's the big deal?" Leia asked.

"The big deal is that I bust kids there all the time for drinking and doing spices. A lot of bad people, some of the galaxy's worst scum, frequent the clubs, even the teen clubs. There's no way in seven Sith hells you're going to those places," Anakin told her.

"This is so unfair!" Leia cried, as she stormed up to her room.

"What has gotten into her?" Anakin wondered.

"She's trying really hard to fit in right now and so she's acting out, because this is how all of Jake's friends treat their parents," Padme said.

"Yeah, well I'd like my little girl back right now," he replied. Padme smiled and slid her arms around his waist.

"She's still our little girl and she'll realize that those kids aren't really her friends and then she'll be back to normal once she realizes she's becoming a person that she doesn't like very much," Padme said. He sighed.

"I hope so," he replied, as he kissed her forehead.

"Come on, let's round up the rest of the kids and send them to bed," she suggested. He nodded and they walked to the kitchen where the kids were eating dessert with their Aunt and Uncle.

~*~

Zia watched glumly, as Mara went to her room upon their return home to their apartment, which was located near the Temple.

"Oh Mace…how could I let this happen?" Zia fretted. Her husband took her in his arms and fixated his dark chocolate gaze on her.

"Zia, you've done nothing wrong. Neither of us could have predicted that Chase would show up, supposedly wanting to know Mara now," Mace said.

"Then you don't trust him either," she stated.

"You know that there are very few people I trust around the two most important women in my life," Mace replied.

"But I can tell she's curious about him. I don't want her going anywhere near him though. He's trouble and I don't care if he claims that he's changed. I think he's lying and if he thinks there is some way he can use Mara, then he will," Zia fretted.

"Then ease her curiosity and go have a talk with her. Tell her about your time with him. She is a teenager and she is going to be curious. But perhaps if you tell her how greed for money slowly changed him into a person with little conscience, then she can begin to understand and deal with it," Mace reasoned.

"You're right. I need to talk to her," Zia replied. Mace pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

"I love you," she said. He gave her a soft smile.

"I love you too. I wish sometimes that I was a little better at showing you how much," Mace replied. Zia placed another kiss on his lips.

"You are everything I need and everything our daughter needs. Don't change a thing, my love," she told him, as he watched her walk into the hallway and toward Mara's room.

~*~

"_Mara…can I come in?"_ Zia called.

"Sure," the fifteen-year-old called.

"Hi honey…I thought you might want to talk a little," Zia suggested.

"Is he really my biological father?" she asked.

"Yes, he is, but I want you to understand that no amount of blood relation can make him more your father than Mace is. He abandoned me and then I met Mace. He was there with me when you were born and he was the first to hold you. From that day on, you were his little girl," Zia said.

"Mom…I'm not going to turn on Daddy if that's what you think. I love him and I don't want this other man to be my father. I'm just curious about him, I guess. What did you ever see in him if he's such a bad man?" Mara asked.

"He wasn't always bad. In fact, when we met as teenagers, he was a very kind person, who wanted to help people," Zia replied.

"What happened to change him?" Mara asked.

"Money mostly. We were hired by a very wealthy client as private investigators when were first starting out in the business and he gave us a taste of wealthy life. For Chase, there was no going back after that. What money we had was never enough and he always had to have more. And with that kind of lifestyle came the excessive drinking and spices. When I look back at the whole situation, I actually find myself relieved that he wanted nothing to do with me after I got pregnant with you. That kind of life would have been not been good for either of us. Things happened just as they should have, because I met your father and found true love like I'd never known. Chase showing up out of the blue just doesn't make sense. I don't trust him and neither should you, sweetie," Zia told her. Mara nodded.

"I already have a Dad and his name is Mace Windu. That other man threw away his chance to know me," Mara told her mother. Zia smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I love you sweetie," Zia said.

"I love you too Mom," Mara replied, as they shared a hug.

_In the next chapter, Chase waits for an opportunity to target Mara alone. Meanwhile, Leia plots to sneak out in order to attend Jake's party at the club and it's a recipe for trouble…_


	3. Part 3 of 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. It's a little redundant, but I have to say it. As always, I invite you into my own little AU sandbox to play.

AN: Here's part 3! Thanks for all the great reviews! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 3/?

Leia slammed her locker shut and found Jake standing there, waiting for her. Classes were done for the day, but there was no hope of her getting to hang out with him, because she was grounded and her Grandpa Riley would be waiting to pick her up.

"Hey…we kind of got cut off last night," he mentioned.

"Don't remind me. My Dad grounded me, because my little sister is a big baby," Leia huffed.

"So, I guess this means you won't be making it to my party next week," he said glumly.

"It may be a cakewalk for you to sneak out, but it's impossible with my father. There's just no way I'll be able to sneak out Friday night," Leia replied.

"The party is Saturday night," Jake reminded. Leia looked at him.

"Saturday?" she asked with a sliver of hope in her voice.

"Yeah," he replied.

"That's perfect! My parents will be at a Charity gala for my Mom's charity. They go every year!" Leia exclaimed.

"Great…then do you think you can sneak out? It won't be the same without you there," Jake said, making Leia blush.

"Well…I doubt my parents will let us stay home alone, but usually all my grandparents go to the gala as well. They'll probably leave us with Tyler and Neela, which means sneaking past them, will be much easier. With Mara's help, I can probably pull it off. Can she come to the party with me?" Leia asked. Jake smiled.

"Of course. This is great! I'm glad you're going to get to come. We're going to have a great time," he said, as he leaned in closed and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Leia flushed and smiled at him.

"I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow," she said, as she left school with a dreamy stare on her face.

~*~

Leia tossed her book satchel on the sofa, as her Grandfather went to the kitchen.

"Hi Daddy," Padme said, as he entered.

"Hey sweetness," he replied, as he kissed her cheek.

"Thanks for picking up Leia for me. How was the ride home?" she asked.

"Quiet. I think someone is still a little upset," Riley replied. Padme sighed.

"I know. Anakin and I got the silent treatment this morning too, but she'll come around," Padme promised.

"Well, I'm just glad you're not letting her go to Club Nova. That is no place for our Leia," Riley said.

"I know. I'm glad Tyler and Neela are available to stay here with the kids while we all attend the charity gala Saturday night," Padme replied.

"That's right; it's that time of year again. Guess that means your Mom will be dusting off my formal clothes this week," Riley said, as he snatched a cookie from the plate Padme was preparing for her kids.

"You always look very handsome. I know you don't like your formal clothes, but this event means a lot to me. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to benefit battered women and their children," Padme said.

"I know and you know I wouldn't miss it for the world," Riley replied, as he hugged her.

"Are you and Mom staying for dinner?" Padme asked, as she started pulling things from the refrigeration unit.

"Are those Dewback fillets I see?" he asked.

"They are," Padme replied.

"Then I think we'll definitely have to stay," Riley said.

~*~

"Thanks so much for letting Mara stay over tonight. Mace and I really need a night together. It's been a long time since we've gone out," Zia said, as Mara headed to the rec room.

"You know we love having her and believe me, I know what you mean by needing time alone with your husband," Padme replied.

"So, is Leia still upset about not being allowed to go to Jake's party?" Zia asked.

"Yes, but there's no way in Sith hell Anakin and I are letting her go to a place like Club Nova. I don't care if she is old enough to get in," Padme replied.

"I know what you mean. I better never catch Mara near one of those places either," Zia said.

"Well, I should get home and get ready. Mace will be home soon," Zia added.

"Okay. Have a good time," Padme called, as she waved to her, before returning to the kitchen to check on dinner. Anakin would be home soon.

~*~

"Good…you're here," Leia said upon Mara's entrance. She quickly noticed that Leia's siblings were having nothing to do with her and played a holo game on the other end of the room.

"What's up?" Mara asked, as she sat down.

"Jake's party is Saturday night and not Friday night as I originally thought," Leia announced.

"So what? You're grounded. Besides, it's at Club Nova. Neither of us is allowed to go to the clubs, even the teen ones," Mara replied.

"I'm not missing Jake's party. I'm his girlfriend. I _have_ to be there and my parents are being unfair," Leia said. Mara didn't agree with her, but she didn't say anything. Her best friend was going through a rebellious faze and as annoying as it was, Leia was still her best friend.

"So what exactly are you up to?" Mara asked.

"Our parents are going to the Charity benefit and we're going to Club Nova, Saturday night," Leia whispered.

"What do you mean by we?" Mara questioned.

"Come on, I'll need your help to get past Tyler and Neela," Leia told her.

"Leia, my parents will ground me till I'm thirty if I get caught sneaking out to Club Nova. We'll both be in a lot of trouble!" Mara hissed.

"Come on…live a little. It will be a blast! And…Jake has some really cute friends," Leia tempted.

"Is this boy worth defying your loving parents and getting grounded for the rest of our teen years?" Mara questioned.

"He really likes me and he hasn't been scared off yet, even though Daddy tried to intimidate him. He…he even kissed me today," Leia said dreamily.

"I really, really like him Mara," Leia confessed, giving her a pair of pleading brown eyes. Mara sighed. She didn't agree with Leia's decision to defy her parents and she wasn't sure about Jake either. He was a little too smooth, which was why Leia would need her to watch her back.

"Okay…I'll do this for you. But you owe me big time, especially if we get caught," Mara replied.

"Thank you! And you're right, I owe you big," Leia said. Mara smirked.

"And I will collect. Now…tell me more about this kiss," Mara replied, as Leia got a dreamy stare on her face again.

~*~

Anakin finally came in that evening, just as Padme was putting dinner on the table.

"Hey, there you are. I was just about to call the kids. I thought I might have to keep your dinner warm in the oven," she said, as she greeted her husband with a soft kiss.

"Sorry I'm late. I was interrogating the scum of the galaxy, but I ran into a resistant one. I was sure he was connected to Bane, because he wouldn't talk at first," Anakin said.

"So that's why you sent Luke home early," she stated.

"Yeah, I got a little rough and Obi-Wan chided me about my methods being "un Jedi-like." You know, the usual stuff. Unfortunately, the sleamo turned out to just be a lackey and didn't have any useful information about Bane's whereabouts," Anakin replied. She rubbed his arm soothingly.

"You'll get him. You always get them. Now, come wash up for dinner in the kitchen and I'll call the kids," Padme said. He nodded and placed another soft kiss on her lips.

"How's Leia? Are we still getting the silent treatment?" he asked. Padme sighed.

"Yes, but we can't cave in to her," Padme replied.

"I know. She's not going to that club. There's no way I'd ever cave into that. I guess I just miss my little Princess," he said. Padme smiled.

"She's still your little Princess. She's just going through a rebellious spurt right now. She has a lot of growing up to do still," Padme promised.

"The party is Friday night, right?" he asked. Padme nodded.

"Yes, so we'll be keeping a very close eye on her. And I told Tyler and Neela that other than Mara, she's not allowed to have any other friends over while we're gone Saturday night," Padme replied. He nodded.

"Then I guess we're covered. Dinner smells great, by the way," he mentioned, as they shared another kiss.

"You smell great too," he added, in a husky tone, making her giggle.

"Charmer. Go wash up," she replied, as she smacked him playfully on the rear.

"I'll get you for that later," he called.

"You better," she called back, as she went to call the kids for dinner.

~*~

_Saturday night…_

Anakin straightened his collar, as he waited for Padme to come down. Last night, Leia had pouted all night, but her spirits seemed better today, now that Jake's party was over and done with. He was glad for that, because he didn't have to worry about her tonight, since he knew she would be safe at home. He heard soft footfalls on the stairs and turned to see his angel descend like she was coming down from the heavens. She had once again stunned him to speechlessness with her alluring, angelic beauty. Her gorgeous chestnut curls were swept up in a glittering white large hair clasp that rested atop her head, letting her curls spill down her back. Her gown, shimmering white in color, hugged her petite, yet supple curves and fell to her feet. The collar scooped low and rested just above her bosom and the thin silver straps resting on her shoulders glimmered in the light.

"Wow…" he uttered. Padme smiled, as she reached him and he took her in his arms.

"You're breathtaking, not that you don't always take my breath away, but that dress just let's everyone know that they're in the presence of an angel," he told her.

"You're sweet, as always. And as always, you're looking very handsome," she replied, as their lips met in a tender kiss, passionate kiss. As their lips parted, he pressed his forehead to hers.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too. And thanks for letting me drag you to another one of these things," Padme replied.

"There's no where else for me other than by your side. Besides, this charity event isn't like the usual Senate galas and I know how important this cause is. All the credits raised goes to a very good place and helps a lot of people in need. To know that you're behind something like that makes me very proud and honored to be escorting you," he said, as he placed another soft kiss on her lips.

"Wow Mom, you look amazing," Leia said, as she and her siblings gathered around to say goodbye.

"Thanks sweetheart," Padme replied, glad that Leia seemed like she was starting to come around again.

"Okay, your Mom and I will be home late. Tyler and Neela are in charge, so behave," Anakin told them, as Padme hugged each of them and then led her to the veranda where he had their favorite silver speeder waiting. Once their parents were gone, Luke and the others started toward the rec room.

"We're going to play my new hologame. Are you two coming?" Luke asked his twin and Mara.

"No thanks, we're going to my room to watch a holomovie," Leia replied, as she and Mara headed upstairs. It was time to get ready for the party and enact their plan to sneak out…

~*~

"_My patience wears thin with you, Chase," _Bane growled.

"I should have an opening soon. She's a teenager and she's bound to sneak away from her parents…" Chase said, as he was cut off when he saw something outside the ground floor of Republica 500. He'd been watching the building ever since his daughter had been dropped off there earlier in the evening.

"_Chase…are you still there?"_ Bane asked. Chase smirked, as he watched his daughter and another brunette girl hop into a boy's speeder.

"Boss, things are looking up. My daughter and her little friend are doing what all teenagers eventually do," Chase said.

"_What are you blathering about?" _Bane growled.

"They've snuck out to go clubbing. I'm following them now," Chase said, as he put his speeder in gear and began following them.

"_Keep me informed," _Bane ordered, as the transmission ended.

"You're my means to becoming a very rich man, my dear daughter," Chase smirked evilly.

~*~

"This is so great. How'd you pull it off?" Jake asked, as he made another right turn.

"We got ready in my room after we told them we were going up to watch a holomovie and once they went to check on my brothers and sisters in the rec room, we snuck right out the front door. It was close, because Threepio almost saw us, but we made," Leia replied.

"Wizard. You don't think they'll check your room, do you?" he asked.

"Well, I left the holoscreen on, so hopefully no one will bother us. But we probably shouldn't be gone more than a couple hours," Leia replied.

"Don't worry, I'll have you back before anyone realizes that you've snuck out. You…you look amazing, by the way," Jake said, as he glanced over at her. Mara rolled her eyes. This whole thing was a disaster waiting to happen and she was seriously regretting her decision to go, but she knew that if she didn't that Leia would have just gone anyway. Her best friend was wearing a dress that her parents would have never let her out of the house in, for it had a low cut collar, was black in color and much too short. As she sat back in the speeder, she decided that she might be overreacting a bit. It was just a club, after all. What could go wrong?

~*~

Anakin led Padme into Calin's resort establishment that evening, walking quickly past the flashing holocams. Calin had been generous enough to let them host the event there and had made a very hefty donation of his own to her charity.

"Wow, what a turnout. We may break a record this year in the amount raised," Anakin mentioned, as they entered the gala. Each attendee paid admission and spent their credits on evening meal, drinks, and contributed with further donations if they so wished. Almost one hundred percent of the profits earned would be donated to their foundation that they had founded together several years ago. The appropriately named Angel Foundation made it possible for women's shelters to operate and take in as many battered women and their children as they could.

"I think you're right. This is wonderful and none of it would have ever been possible without you," Padme told him, as she put her arms around his neck.

"I live to make you happy and the Angel Foundation means a lot to us both. It is a very worthy cause and I see a lot of rich and willing spenders. There isn't a better place for our charitable credits to be going," Anakin said.

"Well said Ani," Yan said, as he and Elana approached, each with a glass of wine in hand. Padme hugged them both.

"Thank you for coming," she said.

"Sweetheart, you know we'd never miss this event," Elana told her. It was true. Yan and Elana were their biggest contributors.

"Let's get a table and order. I'm starving," Anakin mentioned.

"Well that's nothing new," Elana joked, as they saw Calin approaching.

"Good evening Calin. We were just about to get a table. Will you and Lando be joining us?" Padme asked.

"Well, I would love to, but unfortunately Lando and Han are out carousing the clubs, despite my disapproval. But they're adults now and there's not much I can do to stop Lando, never mind stopping Han," Calin replied.

"Yeah, Leia wanted to go to a club last night. Fortunately, we can still say no," Anakin said.

"Cherish the times," Calin replied, as he led them to the center table, which was reserved for their family.

"I want to thank you again for letting us host the event here again," Padme said.

"Of course Padme. You know how much I support this cause as well. Donating the use of my resort for this evening is my honor," Calin replied, as the waiter waited to take their orders. Anakin ordered her favorite meal for her and as usual a Bantha steak for himself. The others ordered as well and their wine was delivered promptly. Padme saw the other attendees doing the same and it made her happy that her cause would once again receive the needed funds.

~*~

Ryoo laughed, as she exited the club with Lando and Han trailing behind them. Her arm was looped with his and Han rolled his eyes. They had been making gooey eyes at each other all night and he wished they would just tell their parents that they had started dating. For some reason, they were enjoying just keeping it between the two of them. Han thought it probably had something to do with the fact that Ryoo wasn't quite ready for her father to know that she was not only dating Lando, but sleeping with him as well. These Jedi dads were as overprotective as they came.

"Hey lovebirds…where are we going now? It better be somewhere where there's lots of alcohol so I can tune you guys out," Han complained.

"You're just mad because you don't have a date," Lando retorted.

"Lando and I thought it would be fun to crash Club Nova," Ryoo giggled.

"Club Nova? That's the teen scene. Why in blazes would we go there?" Han asked.

"Because it will be fun. And they still serve alcohol to the people that are old enough, like us. I hear it's a pretty wizard place these days," Lando replied. Han rolled his eyes.

"Great…I'm gonna have to ask for girls' identification just to make sure they're old enough for me to dance with! That's a great pick up line," Han griped sarcastically, as they entered the club.

~*~

Loud music filled Leia's ears, as she and Mara entered the party with Jake. The air was smoky and the dance floor was filled with teenagers and young adults dancing and gyrating against each other.

"Hey…there's the life day boy now!" one of Jake's obnoxious friends called. The guys all gathered around him, patting him on the back. Leia watched one of the guys line up about twenty shot glasses, before he poured what looked like brandy along all of them, filling them up.

"Go on Jakie…it's your life day. Drink up buddy!" one called obnoxiously. Jake shrugged his shoulders and did one shot. Leia noticed a lot of the girls from her school were present too and they remained standoffish, as usual. They didn't really like her and her little sister's words rang in her mind.

"Whoa…and what do we have here?" Randy, one of Jake's friends, asked, as he eyed Leia and Mara.

"How about a dance, baby?" he leered at Leia.

"Hey…back off Randy," Jake warned. He put his hands up.

"Sorry, I forgot she's yours and there's always her friend. How about you, red?" he asked Mara.

"I say that if you touch me…that you and my green light saber will become very acquainted," Mara replied. Jake and the others laughed.

"That should teach you not to be such a sleaze," Jake said, patting him on the shoulder, before putting his arm around Leia.

"Fine…why don't you take your girl and get a good life day dance out of her. She can show us how good she moves," Randy leered.

"Ignore him. He's drunk, but I wouldn't mind dancing with the most beautiful girl in the room, if you will?" he said, offering his hand. She smiled and nodded, as he led her to the dance floor.

"So, this place is pretty great, isn't it?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, it's wizard," Leia lied. So far, she was unimpressed with the club scene, for there was just a bunch of drunk people she didn't care to associate with and so much smoke that it was hard to breathe. But she was with Jake and that made things a lot better…at least until Veronica approached them.

"Hey there sexy. Happy Life Day," Veronica purred.

"Thanks Veronica, glad you could make it," Jake replied.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss your party for anything. So nice to see you too Leia. I love your dress," Veronica said, glaring at her smugly.

"Thanks," Leia replied.

"So, I was wondering if you would mind if I danced with Jake," Veronica said.

"Well, I'm sort of dancing with him right now," Leia replied.

"Oh that's too bad," Veronica said, looking wounded.

"You don't mind one dance, do you?" Jake asked Leia and she hid her wounded look under a fake smile.

"Sure," Leia replied, as she let Veronica cut in.

"Thanks Leia. It's so nice that your girlfriend trusts you so much," Leia heard Veronica say, as she glared at her over Jake's shoulder. Leia backed away, intending to find Mara when she bumped into someone.

"Hey…watch it," he snapped, as Leia turned.

"Han?" she asked in surprise.

"Leia?" he asked in equal surprise, as they stared at each other on the dance floor.


	4. Part 4 of 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 4! Sorry for the delay. December was a crazy month for me, but I hope to get back to a more regular update schedule now that the holidays are over. Enjoy this next installment and let me know what you think!

Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 4/?

"Han?" Leia asked in surprise.

"Leia?" Han asked in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" Leia asked.

"That should be my question to you, Princess. Do your parents know you're here?" he asked. Leia looked away guiltily. Han smirked.

"And here I thought you'd never do anything to disappoint dear Daddy," Han joked. Leia glared at him.

"My boyfriend is having his life day party tonight and my parents were being unreasonably unfair. So, while they're at the gala tonight, I snuck out and I'll be back before anyone knows anything. This is a teen club, so I guess my question is why are you here?" she asked.

"Well, not that it's any of your business, Princess Bossy pants, but I'm here having a good time, just like you. Though you don't look like you're enjoying yourself that much. What kind of boyfriend leaves a girl like you alone in a place like this? Bet your Daddy wouldn't approve of any guy that left his little Princess all alone in a vulture pit like this," Han said, as he noticed how many guys in the room were noticing Leia. It was no wonder. Her parents would have never let her out of the house dressed like she was. It was then that Han noticed how much she had grown up in the last two years. Her maturation from a pretty young lady to a beautiful young woman had caught him completely off guard.

"Jake is just dancing with a friend. He's right over there," Leia said, pointing.

"With the blonde. Oh yeah, she looks really friendly," he replied sarcastically. Leia was about to retort when Jake's drunk friend, Randy, approached them.

"Hey sweet thing…while Jake's getting some from Veronica, why don't you dance with me? We'll have a really good time," Randy slurred, as he grabbed Leia around the waist. The young girl's eyes widened and she tried to push him away. But his strength surprised her.

"Let go, I don't want to dance with you," Leia said, in disgust, as the rancid smell of booze filled her nostrils.

"Come on baby…you know you want me," he leered, as he tried to kiss her. Leia shied away and was about to scream, but she didn't have to, for Han suddenly ripped the drunk young man off her and slammed him against the bar.

"She told you no, sleamo!" Han yelled, as he drew attention to them.

"Jealous? Get in line and you can have her after I'm done," Randy sneered. Han growled and punched him in the jaw, before tossing him to one of the security guards.

"He tried to attack her," he told them. The guard looked to Leia and she nodded.

"You little bitch! I'll see you at school and this scoundrel won't be there to protect your sweet ass!" Randy yelled drunkenly, as he was hauled away.

"Leia…are you okay?" Jake cried, as he rushed to her side.

"Yeah, no thanks to you. Some boyfriend you are," Han spat. Jake glared at him.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"He's Han. He's a friend of the family," Leia replied.

"Thanks, but I'll take it from here," Jake said, but Han stood his ground, as Lando and Ryoo caught up to him. Leia's eyes widened, as her older cousin fixated a stare of disbelief on her.

"Leia…what in blazes are you doing here?" Ryoo cried, as Mara came next to her.

"Mara too?" Ryoo questioned, as she looked at the girls.

"This is Jake's life day party…so we snuck out. But we're going to be home before anyone notices!" Leia promised.

"You're right, because we're taking you home right now. I'm sorry Lando, but we need to get these two home, while they give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell their parents," Ryoo said sternly.

"Of course. I'll go get the speeder and pull it around," Lando said.

"Wait…can I say goodbye to Jake?" Leia asked. Ryoo stopped.

"Make it quick," Ryoo told her.

"I'm sorry…I have to go, especially if I'm going to convince her not to rat me out to my parents," Leia said. Jake sighed.

"At least let me take her home," Jake pleaded.

"You can come with us, but I'm going to make sure my cousin is home where she belongs," Ryoo replied.

"Jake…you can't leave your own party," Veronica mentioned with a pout.

"Stay out of this Veronica," Leia snapped, as she turned back to her cousin.

"Why are you being so unreasonable? Jake will take me home, I promise," Leia pleaded.

"Unreasonable? Me? You're the one that snuck out against your parents' wishes, wearing a dress that they would never let you out of the house in, and without your light saber," Ryoo said sternly. Leia realized that in her excitement to go to Jake's party, she had foolishly forgotten her weapon at home.

"Do you know how many evil people are out there, just waiting for an opportunity to hurt your parents and if they saw you, they would use you to enact that opportunity. Yet, you waltz in here, without your weapon. It's like you just walked in a den full of hungry Nexu's. I know you're trying to fit in and that you're trying to be normal, but you're not. You're a Skywalker and I'm a Kenobi. We both have to live with the reality that our lives might always be a little more dangerous than the lives of others. Now, we're going. Jake can come if he likes, because I'll bet my credits that his Uncle doesn't know he's here either," Ryoo said, looking at him.

"Are you going to tell my Uncle?" Jake asked. Ryoo rolled her eyes. She didn't know what Leia saw in this spineless little coward.

"Maybe, unless you do the right thing and stand by your girlfriend. Because if my Uncle finds out that you left Leia in order to dance with some other girl, while one of your drunk sleamo friends tried to feel her up, then you'll never get within ten feet of her again. But if you do the right thing and come with us, then I might consider never talking to him. So, you can either cave under the pressure of your drunk, idiot friends and stay here or you can choose to keep seeing Leia," Ryoo said. Veronica snorted in disgust.

"You Jedi think you're soooo superior. I can't believe you're actually trying to intimidate him into leaving," Veronica spat.

"Shut up Veronica…she's right. I should have never left Leia's side in a place like this, especially when Randy is drunk," Jake spat at her. She looked at him in disbelief.

"I'm sorry Leia. I shouldn't have left you. You're my girlfriend and I'm going with you," Jake told her. Leia smiled and Veronica stalked off angrily. Han rolled his eyes and contemplated why it bothered him to see Leia with this other guy. He was a tool and a wimp. He was sure that was why. Leia needed a guy that could wield a good blaster, not that he wanted to be that guy…because he didn't, or so he told himself.

"Fine. Let's go. Lando parked out back, so he should be pulling the speeder around by now," Ryoo said, as he led Mara, Jake, and Leia out. Han followed them, glaring at the back of Jake's head.

~*~

Padme smiled, as Anakin kissed her forehead, before she stepped to the podium. The room immediately quieted, as she prepared to make her speech to thank the contributors.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to come before you tonight and I humbly thank all in attendance for their generous contributions to this cause. The funds we have raised tonight will be used to help battered young women, who think they have no way out, help. These funds give the shelters the resources they need to reach terrified women and give them a safe place. But your funds will help them go beyond that and allow them to help young women and even their children start a new life. With your generous contributions, they will be able to feed, clothe, and shelter them, while also helping them find jobs. Your generous donation will also help council these young women and let them know that their abuse was not their fault and ultimately free them from the oppression of their abusers," Padme said, pausing for a moment.

"I was once one of those battered young women. Before I met my wonderful, loving husband, I was the victim of abuse committed by my stepfather and later the victim of rape by an abusive boyfriend. I escaped a bleak fate that so many women don't. I was lucky and found a man that not only loves and protects me, but one that would never even think of harming me. So, as you can imagine, the cause that has brought us all here together tonight is one very close to my heart. I humbly thank you all for helping me to help these young women and children in need. It means everything to me and my husband, but also to those you are helping as well," Padme concluded, as she was met with applause. Anakin put his arm around her waist and kissed her softly.

"I have chills. I always do after you speak from your heart," he told her. She smiled and her heart fluttered, as he lowered his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. Even after all their wonderful years together, he still made her feel like she was floating when he kissed her.

"May I have this dance, my angel?" he asked. She nodded.

"You may, my handsome protector," she replied, as he led her to the dance floor.

~*~

"Yes! I win again," Luke called victoriously, as he beat Jayden at their new flight simulation game once again.

"Stang…you're too good at this game," Jayden complained.

"But we both know that I'm better at the combat games," Jayden added. Luke shrugged.

"Maybe, but I'm the best pilot," Luke replied.

"Next to Dad," Jayden reminded.

"Of course. No one can out fly Dad or beat him in a light saber battle for that matter," Luke replied, as he suddenly frowned. He had been completely engrossed in the virtual simulator, which required focusing on the Force, that he had blocked everything else out, including his ever present connection to his twin sister. But now that it was restored, he sensed Leia was scared and in danger.

"We're bored," Kimberly said.

"Yeah, we're tired of watching you two play hologames," Jenna huffed.

"Let's do something else that we can all do," Natalie suggested. But Jayden spotted the look of dread on his brother's face.

"Luke, what is it?" Jayden asked.

"It's Leia. She's in danger…Mara too," he uttered.

"What? No they're not. They're right upstairs," Jenna replied.

"No they're not! They're gone!" Luke cried, as he ran out of the room and up the stairs with his siblings trailing behind him. Tyler and Neela, having been startled, quickly

followed them. Luke burst into Leia's room and found it empty.

"They are gone," Kimberly said with worry.

"What?! But how?" Tyler exclaimed.

"They must have snuck out. And now they're in danger. I can feel it," Luke said gravely.

"Luke, are you sure?" Neela asked. He nodded.

"All right, everyone in the speeder. We'll call your parents on the way to the Calrissian resort," Tyler said, as they all headed for the elevator, which would take them down to the speeder hanger.

~*~

_At the same time_

As Ryoo exited the club, she saw Lando's speeder in the distance. Suddenly, three speeders sped up on them and surrounded them. A man that Ryoo recognized as Chase Munez, stepped out of one of the speeders, smirking smugly at them. Ryoo drew her light saber, as she noticed that his company included Cad Bane. And she knew that this was very bad.

"Hello Mara," he said.

"What…are you doing?" she asked the man that was supposedly her biological father.

"Getting rich off you, dear daughter," he told her. Mara drew her light saber, as Bane's goons descended upon them. Han capped two of them with his blaster, but one shot him in the arm and then hit him in the head with the butt of their blaster. Leia screamed, as Han fell unconscious to the ground. The one that had shot him grabbed Leia's arm and she watched, as Jake stood frozen in his tracks, immobilized by fear. One of the goons took advantage of his fright and pushed him into the wall. And he could only watch, as Ryoo and Mara were disarmed by Bane himself.

"Ryoo!" Lando cried, as he hopped out of his speeder. But Bane's goons began firing blaster bolts at him, forcing him to duck for cover behind his speeder. Bane grabbed Leia by the arm.

"Well, well, I can't believe my luck. You know, the original plan just included capturing and ransoming Mace Windu's daughter. But now, not only do I have her, but I also have one of Obi-Wan Kenobi's daughters and if that wasn't good enough, I have the eldest daughter of the Chosen One too," Bane sneered.

"My…father is not someone you want to cross, nor is my Uncle or Master Windu," Leia said bravely, but Bane only chuckled.

"Ordinarily not, but with you three as my hostages, I've just found the perfect way to bring them all to their knees," Bane sneered. Leia yelped, as he hit her behind the neck, knocking her unconscious. Ryoo leapt at Bane, but he wrapped his hand around her slender neck, before throwing her back against one of the speeders and she crumbled to the ground. Chase grabbed Mara around the waist and threw her into the trunk of his speeder, while Bane's goons took Leia and Ryoo and put them into the trunk of Bane's vehicle. As they sped off, Lando stumbled out from behind his speeder and knelt down beside Han. The other young man groaned in pain and clutched his head, as Lando helped him up.

"Stang…" he swore.

"Easy, let's get you into the speeder," Lando said.

"Where are they?" Han asked.

"Bane and his goons took the girls," Lando replied gravely.

"Sleamos. We gotta go tell their parents. Aren't they all at your Dad's resort?" Han asked. Lando nodded, as he noticed Jake by the wall, sitting on the dirty ground, still in shock.

"Hey kid, let's go," Lando called.

"Leave the little coward. He doesn't want his Uncle to know that he snuck out tonight. Don't worry kid, we'll help Leia," Han spat.

"No…wait for me," he called, as he climbed into the speeder.

"I care about Leia," Jake insisted.

"Yeah, I love how you just stood there while they manhandled her," Han spat back, as they glared daggers at each other.

"That's enough. We don't have time for this," Lando said, as he fired the engine's thrusters and sped into the air.

~*~

Padme rolled her eyes, as the incessant Holonet reporters present at the event continued to capture holo after holo of them, as they danced together in each other's arms.

"How many holos do they need? All they've done all night is snap holos of us," Padme complained, though her tone was light hearted.

"I don't know, but I can't say that I blame them for wanting to capture holos of the most beautiful woman in the galaxy," he replied.

"Flatterer," she teased.

"It's true angel," he insisted. She smiled.

"But if it would make you happy, I could mind trick them into going away. That would be entertaining," he said, getting a mischievous look in his eyes. She gave him a stern look, though her eyes were laughing.

"Mind tricking is very rude and you are not causing property damage at my gala," she told him.

"Okay," he pouted, pretending to be disappointed. Suddenly, thanks to Riley's rather loud voice, they heard a commotion. Standing at their table was Tyler, Neela, and the kids, minus Leia. And that's when Anakin felt it.

"_Daddy…" _Leia cried to him through the Force and her fear stabbed at his heart like a vibro blade.

"Leia…" he uttered. Padme turned her head to him.

"Ani…what is it? What's wrong?" she asked. He wordlessly took her hand and led her back to the table.

"Tyler, what's going on?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know how they did it, but Leia and Mara snuck out," Tyler said.

"I'm sorry Dad. She must have hidden her intentions from me with the Force. I didn't sense she was gone until it was too late," Luke said regrettably.

"It's not your fault son. We'll find her," Anakin told him.

"Anakin…is she hurt?" Padme asked.

"No…I don't think so, but she's in danger," Anakin replied.

"Where would they have gone?" Padme wondered.

"They were at Club Nova," Lando announced, as he entered, helping Han along.

"Han was shot by one of Bane's goons ," Lando said.

"Bane?" Padme exclaimed.

"I need a medic!" Calin called.

"Lando, what happened?" Anakin asked.

"Han, Ryoo and I were at Club Nova when we spotted Leia and Mara. They were there with this kid," Lando said, gesturing to Jake. Anakin glared at the young man, who was unable to meet his gaze.

"Club Nova? I told you that you weren't allowed to go there," Clovis exclaimed.

"Anyway, when Ryoo saw them, she told me to go pull the speeder around. We were going to take them home, but as they exited, Bane and his goons jumped them," Lando said.

"Some guy named Chase said he was going to make a lot of credits off them," Han added.

"Chase…he did this. He took Mara," Zia said, as she started to panic. Mace held her, as he tried to calm his own emotions.

"They took Ryoo?" Sola asked, as Obi-Wan put his hands on her shoulders.

"Yes…I'm sorry. I tried to protect her, but they kept shooting at me," Lando replied.

"It's not your fault, Lando. We'll get them back, but the question is, how do go about finding them," Obi-Wan said.

"We won't have to," Dooku said, as they turned their attention to him.

"Bane has contacted me with his ransom demand. He is waiting to speak with all of us," Dooku said gravely.

"I have a conference room where we can take the call," Calin said, as he led them into the back hallway and toward his office, even as Holonet reporters surrounded them, trying to make sense of the commotion. But they ignored them and entered Calin's office and prepared to deal with Bane and his cohorts in order to get their girls back…


	5. Part 5 of 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 5! Thanks for all the great reviews! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 5/?

Where's my daughter?" Anakin demanded, as Bane appeared on the screen.

"She's fine Jedi and she'll remain that way as long as you do exactly as I say," Bane replied. Leia yelped, as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him so they could see her.

"Daddy…I'm so sorry," Leia sobbed.

"It'll be okay Leia," he assured her.

"Your Daddy is right, as long as I get what I want," Bane hissed to the young girl.

"And what is it that you want?" Padme demanded.

"I'm a business man, Senator. How much is your daughter worth to you? I usually don't make it personal, but you both cost me a lot of money when you spoiled all my plans at the Opera House. And now if you want them all back alive, you'll pay the hefty price tag," Bane replied.

"I want to see my daughter," Obi-Wan demanded.

"Me too," Mace added.

"I'm the only one that makes the demands. They're fine for now and they'll stay that was as long as I get my money," Bane snapped.

"Just tell us how much and where to bring it," Anakin snapped back.

"Well, considering that all three of them are highly precious to you, I'm going to ask ten million a piece. That's thirty million credits," Bane informed.

"We can do the math, sleamo," Anakin growled.

"Tsk, tsk, temper, temper, Jedi," Bane goaded.

"Where?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The Docks at midnight," Bane ordered.

"Fine. We'll be there," Anakin replied.

"Not you, Jedi. Do you take me for a fool? No, you'll send the pretty little wife with the credits," Bane said. Anakin glared at the bounty hunter.

"I'm not sending my wife into your scum infested hideout that's filled with your sleazy, fully armed employees," Anakin growled.

"It's either that or the three girls die. She can choose two people that are not Jedi to accompany her. The three of them will be searched for weapons when they arrive, so I suggest they come unarmed. No Jedi within ten miles of the Docks or they're all dead and my scouts will comm me if they see a Jedi anywhere near my operation. Don't be late, Senator," Bane said, as he cut the transmission.

"I'm going with you, sweetness," Riley said.

"And I'm going too," Zia added.

"Zia…" Mace started to protest, but she stopped him.

"I'll be fine. I need to do this. Believe me, I'll make sure Chase will never be able to hurt our baby again," Zia replied. Mace nodded reluctantly.

"This whole thing could just be a set up. We can't let the three of you go in there alone," Obi-Wan said.

"And we won't," Anakin replied.

"But Ani, if they see you, they might hurt Leia," Padme protested.

"And they won't see us. I have several star fighters that have been tested with my new Sentry cloak. We'll be able to infiltrate the area undetected by air and take action if needed. I'm going to wire a listening device to you, angel. So we'll be able to listen to the whole operation. Let's get to the Temple. We've only got a couple hours till midnight," Anakin said. They all nodded in agreement. With that, Anakin briefly turned his attention to Jake.

"As for you kid, you better hope Leia isn't hurt," Anakin aid sternly.

"This isn't all Jake's fault. Those monsters are always after your family. If anything, your daughter only puts my nephew in danger that he otherwise wouldn't encounter," Clovis retorted.

"Uncle, I really care about Leia," Jake protested. Han snorted.

"Yeah, you cared so much that you cowered in fear, while they manhandled her," Han retorted. Jake glared at him.

"You didn't do much better, scoundrel," Jake seethed. Lando held Han back, before he could advance on the other boy.

"Boys, this isn't the time for this. Let's all get to the Temple," Padme reasoned.

"She's right," Anakin stated. Padme gave Rush a stern look.

"And if you ever even hint to the fact that you don't think our Leia is good enough for your nephew again, you'll find out how good my right hook is," Padme said, as Anakin led her out.

~*~

Dorme met Padme when the arrived at the Temple and had brought her white battle suit to her. Padme left to change out of her dress and into her battle uniform quickly, while Anakin led the others to his personal landing pad. Rush nor his nephew had ever been inside the Temple before and were unable to hide their awe, as they lay eyes on the pristine architecture. As they arrived at the expansive landing pad, in which Anakin stored all his Sentry ships and prototypes, Rush and Jake had to be impressed again. "These four ships have the cloak capabilities we need. They seat two people and once we clear the hanger, we only have to activate the cloak and no one will be able to detect us," Anakin said, as he went to his workbench, just as Padme joined them, now dressed in her white battle uniform. He pulled out a case and opened it, revealing a set of Sentry blasters.

"I'll bring these along, so if things get rough, the rest of you will have weapons. Now, for a listening device," Anakin said, as he pulled out a small pouch and took out a small device.

"I need you to wear this. I will let me hear you and everyone around you," Anakin said.

"But they're going to search us. What if they find this?" Padme asked.

"They better not look where you're going to put this or I'll Force choke them all," he said hotly. She looked at him curiously.

"Where am I putting this?" she asked, as she held the tiny device.

"It goes in your bra," he said, looking at her sheepishly. She shook her head and looked at him coyly.

"I should have known you'd invent something like that for me," she playfully scolded. He shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm always thinking about you," he said.

"And your body," he added. She smiled, as she turned away in order to tuck the little device into its intimate place.

"There, all set," she said, as he took her in his arms.

"Please be careful," he pleaded.

"I'll be fine and you won't be far behind. We'll get the girls back and with any luck, Bane will earn himself a one way ticket to Kessel," Padme said. He nodded.

"That's my plan," he replied, as he kissed her softly. They parted, as Padme got into the speeder with Zia and her father. Yan handed them a card.

"This is the access card to the account with their money," he said.

"Thank you Grandfather. That's a lot of money, even if we are planning to arrest them," Padme replied.

"Money is no object when it comes to family," he told her. As Anakin watched his wife leave with her father and Zia, he sighed deeply. He didn't like this plan very much at all.

"All right, Luke and I will take one ship, Obi-Wan and Mace can take another, Dad and Jayden in the third one, and Grandfather in the last one. Be sure to activate the cloaking device as soon as you clean the hanger," Anakin instructed.

"Dad, how come we always get left behind? We're Jedi too," Jenna demanded to know.

"I need the two of you to stay here. If things get ugly, which I suspect they will. I'm going to have you two standing by for back up with Master Secura and Master Fisto," Anakin stated. Realizing that they were short on time, Jenna wisely dropped the subject. Her father had enough to worry about as it was. Leia had really gotten them into a fine mess.

~*~

Padme's curls wafted in the breeze, as her father drove the speeder. They were nearing the lower levels of Coruscant, the most dangerous part of the planet. The Docks were at the center of the danger and it was a place Riley knew all too well. He used to make some of his living there and used to associate with the very scum that had taken two of his grand daughters hostage. His one good eye scanned their surroundings and he noticed that he place was crawling with Bane's goons. He hadn't been kidding when he said that his men would be watching. He heard the comm on the console chime and opened the channel.

"Talk to me Rock," he told his baby brother.

"_Chelle, the boys, and I are behind Bane's hideout. This place is crawling with his goons," _Rocky told him, the boys, referring to Han and Lando.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to see that. Don't get yourselves caught," Riley told him.

"_Yeah, easier said than done. Be careful. I think Bane has more planned than he's letting on," _Rocky replied, as the channel went clear.

"Stick to me like glue, sweetness. I got a bad feeling about this," Riley told her, as they neared the Docks.

~*~

Leia huddled close to Ryoo and Mara, as Bane's armed men milled about. Bane himself stood in front of them, standing at one of the control consoles. He was talking to someone and though they could hear the conversation, they had no idea who it was. On the screen with Bane was a Xalryn female, though she was so deformed it was difficult to distinguish her sex from her image, which only showed her from the shoulders up.

"Iceheart must not find out who you are really working for or it may jeopardize my Master's plans," the raspy female voice uttered.

"Iceheart nor her agents have any knowledge of our business relationship. She simply thinks I'm toying with the Jedi by dangling their brats in front of them for money and in many ways that's all there is to it. Besides, isn't your so called Master still incapacitated?" he asked.

"He is and will remain so for some time. But…he has regained a small amount of consciousness and he is aware of what is going on. He simply wants to see her. He realizes that it would be nearly impossible for you to capture her with Skywalker so close by," the woman hissed.

"Your Master underestimates my capabilities," Bane snapped back.

"And you underestimate Skywalker. You should not toy with him. Harm her and there will be nothing you can do to combat his powers, not even with the tools we have provided you with," she sneered.

"Fine, but if I see the opportunity to take her off planet, where shall I bring her?" Bane asked.

"If you manage to pull such a feat off, we'll discuss that at the time," she replied.

"You're the boss or rather, your Master is, even though a bunch of tubes, wires, and bacta are keeping him alive," Bane said.

"The Master will rise again! And he will be more powerful than you can imagine! Dangle the Senator and his children in front of Skywalker to get your money if you must, but do not harm them. If something happens to the key to his power, then there will be no where you can hide, bounty hunter, for the Master will seek and destroy you," she hissed, as the transmission went blank. Bane scoffed. He wasn't scared of any of them, Jedi, nor Sith. He may have just been a bounty hunter, but he was legendary. People knew his name and they feared him. The so called Master was just a mangled mass of wires right now. And Iceheart was a fool. They were all fools, at least in his mind.

"Hey boss, our guests have arrived," one of Bane's goons called. The bounty hunter smirked.

"Invite them in, Chase. It's time to have a little fun," Bane chuckled, as he lit a death stick and calmly approached his company, as they were let inside.

"Search them," Bane ordered. As they patted Riley down, he noticed one of the other goons taking his sweet time in patting Padme down.

"Hey sleamo, keep those hands in check," Riley snapped.

"I'm just doing my job. And what a fine job it is," he hissed, as his hands moved up Padme's sides.

"Get your hands off me. I'm unarmed and I think that's plainly clear," Padme snapped.

"If your hands get any higher, you pervert, and it's gonna get real fighty in here," Riley growled, as two of Bane's men held him back.

"Jared, you're being rude to our lovely guest," Bane said. Jared removed his hands and sniffed her hair.

"You're one sweet piece of ass," he hissed in her ear, as she cringed away.

"That's it," Riley growled, as he punched the guy in the throat. He fell to the ground, choking for air, while two men pounced on Riley, restraining him.

"Where is my daughter," Zia demanded, as Chase finished searching her.

"And Leia and Ryoo," Padme added.

"Mom!" Leia called, as she and the other two girls stood up. Padme started toward them, but Bane stood in her way.

"Here's your money. Now let our girls go," Padme said, as she produced the account card. Bane snatched it from her hand.

"You can go to your girls now, but you'll all remain here while I make sure the money is all in this account. I hope for your sake the good Count hasn't tried to double cross me," Bane said, as he turned and walked to his control console. Padme, Riley, and Zia sprinted to their girls, hugging them tightly.

"Oh Mom…I'm so sorry," Leia sobbed.

"It's all right honey. The important thing is that you're all okay. We'll talk about this at home," Padme told her, as she kissed her hair and then hugged Ryoo.

"Did they hurt you or touch you?" Riley asked. The three girls shook their heads, giving him relief.

"Well, it seems that the money is all here," Bane announced.

"Fine. Then we'll be going," Riley replied. Bane chuckled.

"Not so fast," Bane leered.

~*~

Luke watched his father clench his fist and release his anger into the Force, as they listened to the conversations through the comm, thanks to the listening device his mother was wearing. The man that was frisking his Mother was lucky to still be breathing at the moment. They finally heard Bane approach with a smug tone in his voice.

"_Not so fast,"_ Bane leered.

"I knew it. He's going to try and pull something," Anakin said, as he and Luke continued to listen.

"_Look, you got your credits. Now let us go," _Riley growled.

"_You and the others are free to go. However, I would love it if the Senator would stay as my honored guest. I have…someone who is willing to pay me a cool fifty million for her," _Bane sneered. Anakin's jaw clenched.

"Land on the roof. They'll never see us coming until we're already in the building. I'm not letting Bane think he's going to sell my wife to his employer," Anakin said into the comlink. They landed the star fighters on the roof, only then deactivating the cloaking devices. Anakin ignited his light saber and cut a hole in the roof…

~*~

Padme struggled, as Bane grabbed her wrists and dragged her to the comm panel.

"Let her go! You got your money and I'm not letting the Sith get their hands on my daughter!" Riley growled, as he was restrained by Bane's men.

"Mom!" Leia cried, as more of his men raised their blasters to them. Zia held her daughter back, while Ryoo held Leia back.

"I have her, as promised. I expect compensation for her capture," Bane said to the blank screen. Padme saw no one, but then heard a female voice.

"_Yes, these images captures of her will please the Master immensely. However, I believe you are about to have company. We shall seek another opportunity to capture his Queen," _the female voice rasped, as they suddenly heard a clanging on the floor. A metal circle, cut from the roof, fell to the ground. Seven light sabers blazed to life, as Anakin and the others descended from the roof and into Bane's hideout. Blaster fire erupted between Bane's lackeys and the Jedi. Bane growled, as he shoved Padme to the ground and made a run for it. Anakin reached her and helped her up.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"Bane is getting away," she told him.

"Jayden, stay with your Mother. Luke, let's go. Bane's not getting away this time," Anakin called, as he and Luke ran for the back entrance where Bane had slipped out with the money.

Zia glared at Chase, who had his blaster leveled at them.

"Kidnapping your own daughter for ransom. I thought not even you were that low," Zia spat.

"Then you gave me more credit than you should have. You know that money was the only thing that ever mattered to me. And thanks to the brat, I'll be a very rich man once I get my cut," Chase replied.

"You're a fool Bane is gone with the money. He never intended to give you a cut of the money. This whole thing was a much bigger plan of his own," Zia told him. Chase glared at her, getting a murderous look in his eyes. The money was gone. Bane had double crossed him and he had nothing to show for his hard work. And to make things worse, he was about to be arrested by the Jedi.

"Well, if I'm going away, then I might as well make it count. If I'm not getting my happy ending, then neither are you," Chase growled, as he pointed his blaster at Mara. Zia gasped and shielded her daughter with her body, waiting for the blaster bolt to come that would kill her. But it never came. Zia and Mara looked up, only to find a violet blade protruding from Chase's chest.

"The moment you set foot on Coruscant and decided to hurt my family, your fate was sealed," Mace said, as he extracted his blade and let Chase's body fall dead to the dirty floor. Zia and Mara leapt up and threw their arms around him. He hugged them both tightly, relieved that they were both safe. The rest of Bane's goons were now in stun cuffs and the building was secure.

"Kit and Aayla are on their way with a prison transport," Qui-Gon said.

"Where's Bane?" Mace asked.

"He escaped out the back. Anakin and Luke went after him," Yan said.

"I'll take Jayden and we'll follow them for back up," Obi-Wan said, as his nephew followed him eagerly.

"Jayden, be careful!" Padme called.

"Don't worry Mom," he called back. Riley put his arm around her.

"You okay, sweetness?" he asked. She nodded.

"I'm fine," she replied, as she remembered the peculiar person that Bane had been speaking to over the comm. The unknown woman had referred to her as a Queen…_his_ Queen. It had been what Sifo-Dyas had called her. And she didn't want to think about what that might mean. For now, she would focus on her daughter and deal with the staggering implications of the conversation she overheard. She only hoped her husband could keep Bane from escaping, for she knew the bounty hunter wasn't going to go down easily, even against an opponent like her husband…


	6. Part 6 of 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's chapter 6! Thanks for all the amazing reviews, as always. This series is so much fun to write and the ideas just keep flowing. That's of course in large part thanks to my wonderful readers. Your craving for more makes me want to write more. So, enjoy this next chapter and let me know what you think! You know the drill.

Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 6/?

"Lando!" Ryoo called, as they hugged each other tightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"I'm fine. Thankfully, we all are," Ryoo replied. They noticed Leia sitting with her mother, who was holding her crying daughter.

"Hope she's learned her lesson," Lando mentioned.

"She has, I'm sure. She never meant for any of this to happen. Please don't blame her," Ryoo pleaded.

"I won't. She's a good kid. And Force knows Han and I have pulled our fair share of antics. And my Dad has the gray hairs to prove it," Lando joked. She giggled, before frowning.

"I hope Dad and Uncle Anakin catch that sleamo," she said.

"Well, if I were Cad Bane. I'd certainly be worried," Lando replied.

~*~

Zia finally pulled back from hugging her daughter.

"What were your thinking? You know that your father and I would never give you permission to go to a place like Club Nova," Zia scolded.

"I know. But Leia was going to go anyway and so I went to keep an eye on her, but we didn't think that anything like this would happen. I'm sorry," Mara said.

"She's right. It's my fault. I'm so sorry Mom! I should have never snuck out," Leia sobbed.

"No, you shouldn't have. The important thing is that you're all safe. However, you'll be having a very long talk with your father and me when we get home and we'll decide your punishment then," Padme told her.

"The same goes for you too, young one," Mace told her, with a gentle, yet stern voice. Both girls nodded. Padme got up and walked to the control console. She remembered the woman's cruel, raspy voice. _He_ had wanted to _see _her. But _he_, if the woman was referring to who she thought she was, then _he _was dead. He had to be. The sight of his burning flesh had been too gruesome for her to stomach. She had buried her face in her husband's chest, but Anakin had watched Sifo-Dyas burn to death two years ago on Falleen. She shivered involuntarily, as a cold chill raced down her spine. What if he was alive? Her stomach twisted in knots at the possibility that he was alive. It couldn't be…it just couldn't be. Her head swam with the horror that he could possibly be alive.

"Sweetness, are you okay?" Riley asked.

"I'm fine," Padme said uncertainly, as she stared at the comm.

"You're pale as a sheet, baby girl. Let's get you to the speeder," Riley replied.

"No…I'm not leaving until Anakin and my boys get back," Padme refused. Riley nodded.

"Then at least sit down here," he replied, as he led her to a chair.

~*~

The deformed woman walked into the medical ward. Commander Taurek, her superior, stood by the large bacta tank.

"Lieutenant Mazon, do you have what the Master has asked for?" Taurek demanded.

"Yes, Bane was not successful in capturing the object of the Master's desire," Mazon replied.

"I didn't expect that dirt bag bounty hunter to accomplish that. The Master is not ready for her yet anyhow. His road to recovery is still a very long one," Taurek replied, as he looked into the bacta tank. Only a head was visible in the bacta solution, for all that was left of the rest of the body was charred, mangled remains.

"Play the recording, Talga," he ordered, calling the woman by her first name. She put the disc in and played the recording. Sifo-Dyas opened his eyes. He was numb from the neck down, thanks to the pain medication and his life at this point consisted of floating in the bacta tank, which was the only thing keeping him alive. The tubes that were attached to his mangled remains breathed for him and pumped his heart, as well as operated the rest of his body's functions. But he was conscious again finally and his new body was being constructed. Then he would be unstoppable. He focused his bloodshot eyes on the screen, gazing upon the prize that he would claim one day. She was purely exquisite, as always. The Goddess before his eyes would not escape him again. He would have her and then the power to control the galaxy would be his again.

"You are the key to ultimate power and you shall be mine, Padme. No one, not even Anakin, will be able to stop me this time," Sifo-Dyas rasped.

"When you are whole again, Master, no one will challenge your rule," Taurek stated.

"Yes. Leave her lovely image on the screen. She has forgotten me. She believes that I am dead. Perhaps now that I have awareness of the Force again, I shall remind her that I still exist…through her venerable dreams," Sifo-Dyas hissed with an evil cackle.

~*~

Anakin chased Bane through the dirty alleyway and toward the busy air lanes of traffic. Bane took out his grappling cable and hooked it onto the underside of a passing air bus. But Anakin had anticipated such an action and had remembered to grab his hover board. He unhooked the strap that attached it to his back and strapped it to his feet.

"Find a speeder and follow me! We can't let him get away!" Anakin called to his brother. The thrusters on the invention Anakin had created himself fired and he went zigzagging into traffic in hot pursuit.

"Blast…your father is completely insane," Obi-Wan griped, as he searched for possible transportation.

"Hey!" Jayden called, as he flagged down an open cockpit model air taxi, which was being piloted by a Toydarian employee.

"We need to borrow your speeder. It's Jedi business," Jayden said, waving his hand in front of the creature.

"Hmph…your Jedi mind tricks don't work on me, brat," the Toydarian spat.

"Well, we're borrowing it anyway," Luke said, as Jayden floated the creature out of the driver's seat and placed him on the ground, as Luke hopped in. Jayden hopped into the back and Obi-Wan got into the passenger side.

"I'm terribly sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, as Luke punched the throttle down and took off.

"Jedi Poodoo!" the creature shouted, as he shook his fist angrily.

~*~

Bane fired his blaster wildly, as he rode atop the moving air bus. Anakin either blocked or evaded his barrage of laser bullets, as he continued in pursuit. As Anakin gained on him, he switched tactics and slid down the side of the bus. He busted a window and climbed through, startling the passengers. Their startled gasps soon turned to cries of panic, as Bane held his blaster up and fired a shot into the vehicle's roof. The civilian occupants ducked in their seats, realizing that they were now hostages. A brave passenger, whom happened to be a security guard at a club, drew his blaster in an attempt to thwart him. But Bane only smirked and holstered his blaster. On the other side of his belt, a cylindrical weapon rested. The light whip he had stolen off a dead Jedi a few years ago wasn't his favorite weapon, but he knew how to use it and enjoyed causing fear with it.

"Don't move," the guard ordered, his voice wavering.

"You're a little out of your league," Bane warned.

"I said don't move!" he shouted, as his hands shook.

"Well, now you're just annoying me," Bane spat, as the yellow light whip sizzled to life. Bane flung the weapon at the poor man and it coiled around his neck. The guard choked and fell dead to the ground, as his windpipe was crushed. Crying and sounds of fright reverberated among the hostages. Anakin slid his tall frame through the busted window and ignited his light saber. He saw the dead man and glared at Bane.

"He was no threat to you. Did you have to kill him?" Anakin spat.

"That's your problem, Jedi. Your bleeding heart is why you lose. You care too much for these insignificant peons. Their lives are worthless," Bane spat back.

"That's funny, because thus far I've had a fairly good record when it comes to stamping out evil like your kind. And make no mistake, bounty hunter, every life means something, especially the innocent. The suffering you cause the innocent will only become your own suffering in the end," Anakin stated eloquently.

"Nice little speech. Did your Daddy teach you that nonsense?" Bane goaded.

"As a matter of fact, he did, but I assure it's not nonsense," Anakin retorted. Bane chuckled.

"Always the witty one. And as much as I enjoy our encounters, I have to be going," Bane replied.

"The only place you're going is prison," Anakin spat.

"Oh I don't think so," Bane responded, as he grabbed a young mother, holding a small child and put his glowing light whip to the mother's throat.

"Are their lives worth letting me escape?" Bane questioned.

"You're not going anywhere," Anakin growled.

"You get to save them or capture me. Your choice," Bane taunted.

"I choose to do both," Anakin replied.

"Wrong answer Jedi," Bane growled, as he raised he light whip up, preparing to bring it down on his hostages. The young mother screamed and covered her crying child with her arms. As he moved to strike, bringing the whip down, Anakin intercepted and raised his forearm. His eyes flashed golden cobalt and the whip wrapped around his arm. The light whip crystal cracked and the weapon fizzled out. He grabbed the bounty hunter by his collar and slammed him against the wall.

"It's over Bane," Anakin stated.

"Oh, it's far from over, Jedi. My employer gave me a few things to help me deal with you," Bane growled, as he managed to activate a device on his wrist. A glowing red shield blazed to life around him, zapping Anakin with a jolt of enhanced simulated Force lightning, throwing him back.

"Not even you can stop me, Chosen One. While you save these people's miserable lives, I'll be on my way," Bane sneered, as he shot the driver. His dead weight slumped forward and onto the controls, causing the bus to dive into the lane of traffic below. Bane jumped out the window, as people began to panic. Anakin ran to the cockpit and removed the deceased driver and took control of the bus, veering it back on track and avoiding a collision.

"Luke, I have to get this bus to safety first. Bane is getting a way. Go after him and I'll be right behind you," Anakin shouted into his comlink.

"_We see him! We're in pursuit now," _Luke called back to him.

"Master Skywalker…I can take the controls. I'm a pilot!" one of the passengers called, as they ran to the cockpit.

"Thanks, I've got a bounty hunter to catch. It's all yours," he told the young man, patting him on the back. The passengers watched in amazement, as he vaulted out of the window, attaching his hover board to his feet, and went speeding through traffic at inhuman speeds.

~*~

Luke sped after the speeder that Bane now occupied. The vicious bounty hunter had hopped onto the hood after he vaulted himself off the bus and killed the poor driver, before taking control. Luke was in hot pursuit, weaving in and out of traffic in a fashion that would make his father proud and was making his Uncle nauseous.

"Luke…get over him for me!" Jayden called, as he stood up.

"Whoa…what do you think you're doing?!" Obi-Wan called.

"He's going to get away and I can't let that happen. I'll be fine!" Jayden called, as he went vaulting over the edge, before landing in the backseat of Bane's speeder.

"Oh bloody hell, you're mother is going to murder me for letting him do that!" Obi-Wan cried.

"Don't worry. I'll get under him, just in case," Luke called, as he swerved the speeder.

~*~

Bane fired his blaster wildly behind him, as Jayden blocked each one with his sapphire blade. Jayden was thrown back, as Bane swerved sharply to the right in an attempt to dump Jayden out. But the young Jedi held onto the side tightly. Unsatisfied, Bane tightened his harness and turned the speeder upside down. Jayden cried out, as he hung onto the side, his legs dangling in the air. Bane zigzagged back and forth trying to shake the boy off. But Jayden swung his legs up, thanks to the momentum and kicked Bane in the head. The bounty hunter growled angrily and turned the speeder right side up. Jayden's feet landed in the back seat. Bane expected this and grabbed him by the neck. Jayden gasped for air, as Bane choked him. Jayden tried prying his hand away, but the bounty hunter was stronger than he looked.

"I hope you said goodbye to your Mommy and Daddy, Jedi brat," Bane spat, as he pushed Jayden over, spilling him out of the speeder. Luke dove after his little brother, as he fell through the air, but Jayden was falling too fast. Anakin caught his youngest son in mid air and dropped him into the speeder with Luke and Obi-Wan, before pursuing Bane again. The bounty hunter was none too pleased to see Skywalker on his trail again. He had to lose him. It was his only chance of escaping. Bane punched the throttle down, nearly crashing into three other speeders, as he reached dangerous speeders. And Anakin knew if he didn't do something to stop him, then he would escape. His eyes flashed gold, as they darkened to a bright indigo. He ignited his light saber and it blazed with white fire. With expert precision, Anakin concentrated his power into the form of a small sphere on the tip of his blade. He made a swiping motion, releasing the orb of pure Force energy. Bane couldn't evade it and the entire back end of his speeder was destroyed. His speeder went spiraling into a nosedive. Just as he was about to crash into the side of a building he jumped out and clung to a metal beam of a traffic signal. He snarled, as he saw Anakin coming for him. He climbed down from the traffic post and leapt to the ground. Quickly, he ran into the crowded marketplace and into a nearby club. Anakin ran inside after him and looked through the sea of patrons. If Bane thought he could hide from Anakin, then it would be his undoing. The bounty hunter, who was hidden behind a support pillar, waited for Anakin to pass by. While Bane was very good at concealing his presence from a Jedi, Anakin was no ordinary Jedi. Bane came behind him with a vibro blade in his hand. Anakin whipped around and caught his arm, as he tried to thrust the blade into Anakin. Anakin surprised Bane with his Force enhanced strength, as he caught the blade in his bare hand. His aura of power flared, protecting his skin from the blade and with a flick of his wrist, he snapped the blade in half. Bane couldn't hide his astonishment. Anakin turned him around and slammed him against the wall. He confiscated all his weapons, his wrist device, and comlink, just as Luke, Obi-Wan, and Jayden arrived.

"Wow…you got him Dad!" Jayden called.

"Yes I did. You're under arrest, Cad Bane," Anakin announced, as he placed him in stun cuffs.

"The Republic's prisons won't hold me for long, Jedi," Bane spat.

"We know. That's why we have a nice little cell reserved, just for you in the Jedi Temple," Anakin retorted, as he hauled him out to the speeder.

~*~

When they received word that Anakin had captured and arrested Bane, they left his hideout at the Docks, which was now crawling with Clone Troopers and went back to the Temple. As Anakin led Bane inside the Temple atrium, many Jedi, including all the Council members gathered to witness it.

"Brought to justice you have, at last, Cad Bane," Yoda stated.

"We have a cell waiting, fit for a slime ball like you," Ferus said, as he approached, in order to escort him.

"Enjoy this victory while you can, Jedi scum, because it won't last," Bane spat.

"The Senate will see that you are held accountable for your crimes and murders," Padme stated firmly.

"And someday, that sharp tongue of yours will lead to your death, Senator," Bane spat.

"Not as long as I'm around. Get this sleamo out of here," Anakin requested.

"With pleasure," Serra replied, as she and Ferus escorted him to the cell block. He would remain there until he was sentenced and then Anakin would take him to the new Jedi prison on Yavin IV personally.

Padme wrapped her arms around him and he lowered his lips to hers.

"I knew you'd get him," she said.

"He didn't go down easily, but I wasn't going to let him get away again," Anakin replied, as she noticed a coiled burn on his forearm.

"It's just a minor light whip burn. Nothing serious," he told her.

"Still, I want to put some bacta on it when we get home," Padme replied.

"Who's up for a victory drink? I almost died in a speeder tonight, so I could really use one," Obi-Wan deadpanned. Anakin smirked.

"I think I already see a few new gray hairs," Anakin joked. Obi-Wan glared at his baby brother.

"You'll be happy to know that your oldest son flies like a like a maniac, just like you, and your youngest son enjoys freefalling through busy traffic lanes, again, just like you. You should be proud that they're just as insane as you too," Obi-Wan griped. Anakin grinned.

"Oh I am. They're both a chip off the old block," Anakin replied, as Padme looked at him.

"Jayden did what?" she questioned sternly.

"Angel, he's fine. You know I'd never let anything happen to either of them," Anakin promised.

"I know, but I don't much like him leaping over the side of speeders and freefalling through traffic. I don't like when you do it…but I guess I should be used to this. I'm married to a Jedi and my children are Jedi as well," she relented. He kissed her forehead.

"We're Skywalkers and this is what we do. But the kids and I will always come home to you," he promised. She smiled and kissed him tenderly.

"I know, but you know that I'll still worry. It's what I do," she replied. He kissed her passionately.

"Let's go home," he said. She nodded, as she suddenly felt a cold touch on her neck. She shivered involuntarily and looked behind her. It had felt like there was someone cold hand on her neck and she instinctively touched the spot.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She looked up at him and then remembered what she had seen earlier when Bane had presented her on the blank comm screen. She hadn't told him yet, but this wasn't the place.

"I'm fine, let's get the kids," she replied. Anakin knew there was something she needed to talk about, but it would wait until they got home. For now, everything had been set right again.


	7. Part 7 of 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 6! Thanks for all the amazing reviews, as always. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 7/8

"It's good that you're okay Leia. I'm glad none of you were hurt. I am hoping both of you have learned a valuable lesson from this?" Rush questioned his nephew.

"Yes Uncle," Jake replied, as he turned to Leia.

"I guess I'll see you at school," he said. She nodded.

"Yeah, at least we still have that," Leia replied. He scoffed.

"Yeah, I guess we're both pretty grounded for a while. I wish I could have been there for you tonight. I guess I just froze," Jake said.

"It's okay. Those goons could have killed you if you tried anything, especially since you were unarmed. I was just proud that you stood up to your friends for me," Leia praised.

"Yeah, I'm not even sure why I'm friends with those jerks sometimes," he replied.

"Jake, it's time to go," Rush called.

"I'll see you at school," he called. As Jake and Rush left, Calin arrived to get Han and Lando.

"Leia, thank the stars you and the other girls are okay," he said.

"Thank you Mister Calrissian," Leia replied, as he patted her shoulder. He spotted his son with his arm around Ryoo and approached them, as they conversed with Ryoo's parents. Leia saw Han off to the side and approached him.

"Han," she said, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

"Good to see that you didn't get splattered, Princess," Han drawled. Normally, Leia would have fired back with a quick insult.

"I just wanted to thank you for trying to protect me from Bane's goons. That was very brave," Leia mentioned.

"Well, someone had to. That spineless boyfriend of yours almost wet himself when Bane's goons jumped you. Does your Daddy know you're dating a boy that can't protect you," Han asked. Leia fumed, but held her temper.

"Jake was scared. We all were and he wasn't armed," Leia defended.

"Yeah, well this is Coruscant, sister. And you don't go clubbin' without packing a concealed weapon to protect yourself, especially when you are who you are," Han replied.

"Jake is very nice and he likes me," Leia argued.

"Never said he wasn't nice, just incapable of protecting you. Bet he's never even held a blaster," Han argued back.

"Why do you care?" Leia hugged.

"I don't, but like I said, I also don't want to see you get splattered. Mr. Big Man on Campus can't take care of you," Han replied.

"Oh, and you could?" Leia questioned. Han glared at her.

"Don't flatter yourself, your highnessness," he hissed.

"Right back at you, laser brain," she hissed back.

"Oh, laser brain? Real mature. I thought you might have grown up a little, but I guess I was wrong. You're still just a kid. Glad I only date real women," Han spat.

"You mean sluts," Leia spat back. He glared daggers at her.

"Ain't it way past your bedtime, little girl? Why don't you go have Mommy read you a story," Han teased. Tears welled in her eyes, as she stepped closer to him.

"I am a real woman now and that's why it kills you, because you know you can't have me. I won't be just another notch on your headboard," Leia leered.

"You should be so lucky," he leered back.

"In your dreams, nerfherder," she growled.

"Or yours, your brattiness," he retorted.

"I have Jake, why would I need you?" Leia shot back.

"Simple. He's a boy and I'm a man," Han stated.

"Maybe in your own mind," Leia sneered.

"Good one, Princess," Han sneered back.

"Jake is all the man I need," Leia insisted.

"Has your _boy_ kissed you yet?" Han argued.

"As a matter of fact, he has. And it was very nice," Leia boasted. Han scoffed again.

"Just nice, huh?" he poked fun.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"It just goes to prove my point," Han said, as he suddenly pulled her into a passionate kiss. Leia looked stunned when their lips finally parted and he smirked arrogantly.

"Consider that your first kiss from a real man," he said, as he stalked off, leaving Leia in a haze of confusion. Padme had to say her name three times to get her attention.

"Leia!" Padme said for the third time.

"Huh?" Leia asked.

"Let's go. We're going home. What's going on?" she asked.

"N…nothing," Leia lied, as she followed her mother. Her father had gone to interrogate Bane, but would return soon. Leia touched her lips, before she climbed into the speeder.

~*~

Anakin and Obi-Wan entered Bane's cell and looked around.

"Nice cell. I'm pretty sure the one at Yavin IV that's reserved for you is about half this size," Anakin said, with a smirk.

"Your prisons won't hold me, Jedi," Bane spat.

"Oh, I'm positive it will. I designed the new prison's security system, after all. It would contain a Sith Lord if it had to, but enough about that. I'm eager to hear all the information you can give us about your employer," Anakin said, as he sat down.

"I'm not telling you anything, Jedi filth," Bane spat. But Anakin only smirked.

"You know, I don't need you to open your mouth to get any information from you. The only reason I haven't done a mind probe is because my brother insists trying the humane approach," Anakin said, with an eye roll, as he leaned forward over the table.

"But personally, I consider you lower than pond scum, so I'm not sure why we're wasting time with you," Anakin sneered.

"Now Anakin, we must treat him humanly. It is the Jedi way, even though he has never shown us the same courtesy," Obi-Wan responded.

"Your good Jedi, bad Jedi routine isn't going to work on me. And I'm more resistant to your mind probes than you might think," Bane spat.

"Really? Let's find out," Anakin suggested, as Bane suddenly held his head in agony. He kept his mind shields up and the mind probe ceased, leaving him shaking violently.

"Told you…it wouldn't be so easy to…break me, Jedi scum," he rasped. But Anakin only smirked like he was enjoying Bane's discomfort and he was very much.

"That was Obi-Wan's mind probe, one of average strength. He went easy on you. If I use mine, I'll not only shatter your mind shields and find what I need, but if it doesn't kill you, then you'll be a vegetable when I'm done. That's why I'm giving you tonight to think about your choice. Tomorrow, you'll either talk or I'll use my mind probing abilities on you to learn what I need. And believe me, I'm really hoping you choose the latter, because I would really enjoy melting your brains into mush for touching my wife, my daughter, and my nieces," Anakin growled, as he stared into Bane's black eyes, before stepping back.

"Think it over, sleamo and I'll see you tomorrow," Anakin said. Obi-Wan smirked at Bane too, as he followed his brother out, leaving Cad Bane to ponder his fate.

~*~

Ryoo's eyes parted from Lando, as they held each other.

"I was so worried. I should have fought those goons more," Lando said regrettably.

"You protected us as best as you could. Had you fought more, they might have killed you. Believe me, you did the best thing by going straight to my Dad and my Uncle," Ryoo replied.

"She's right," Obi-Wan said, as he approached with Sola.

"Mom and Dad," Ryoo said, as she turned to them.

"Looks like you two have something to tell us all," Sola said excitedly, as Calin approached.

"Yes…Lando and I have been dating," Ryoo announced. Sola hugged her daughter, followed by Obi-Wan, who also hugged her.

"I thought I would dread this day, but I feel that I can trust you with my daughter," Obi-Wan said, patting Lando on the shoulder.

"Thank you Sir," Lando replied.

~*~

By the time Anakin parked their speeder out home, it was almost four a.m.

"All right, everyone go upstairs to bed. As soon as we're all rested, we'll have our talk later today," Padme told Leia. She nodded, as she followed her siblings inside.

"Man, I'm beat," Anakin mentioned.

"Me too," Padme replied, as she remembered the eerie comm conversation with Bane and an unknown subject. But she decided it would wait and she would tell him when they woke up, for they were both exhausted.

"Let's go to bed," she said. He nodded, as they headed upstairs.

~*~

"So how long do you think Mom and Dad are going to ground you?" Luke asked his twin, as they brushed their teeth in the fresher. Leia split out her toothpaste in the sink.

"I don't know and I'd rather not think about it. I'll be lucky if it's anything less than two months," Leia replied.

"Yeah, you will. Hope sneaking out for that wimp you call a boyfriend was worth it," Luke gripped. Leia fumed.

"Jake is not a wimp! Besides I'm a Jedi and I don't need protecting. Bane was going to kidnap us, regardless of Jake's presence," Leia argued.

"Maybe, but Dad's none too happy about you seeing a boy that can't even handle a blaster and I don't like it ether. Han said he was surprised Jake didn't run away screaming. He probably would have except he was frozen in fear," Luke said. Leia huffed in annoyance.

"Well, he is very sweet and I like him. I can take care of myself and Han is a nerfherder and so are you," Leia spat, as she stormed out. Luke only smirked in amusement. He was used to his twin's temper tantrums.

~*~

They had been exhausted and sleep had come almost immediately, as they lay down in bed and as always nestled in each other's arms. But what had begun as a deep, relaxing sleep for Padme soon turned into a terrible nightmare…

~*~

_It was a beautiful, sunny day and she immediately recognized her surroundings. The meadow on Naboo, one of her and Anakin's favorite places. She wore a beautiful white sundress with a lavender flower print. She laughed, as she watched her husband chase their kids around. She noticed suddenly that they had all stopped to stare. Her smile disappeared, as she turned to look and she screamed. Varykino, their beautiful lake home that held some of their most cherished memories, was engulfed by flames. She turned and ran to her husband, but she never made it. Fire exploded in the meadow, separating her from her beloved husband and children. An evil, yet familiar cackle echoed loudly in the skies, until everything went black around her. She searched the darkness and called for Anakin, but he did not come. Tears streamed down her face and she screamed, as someone or something grabbed her arm. Light suddenly blinded her, as her surroundings were once again visible. She screamed, as Sifo-Dyas gazed at her with an evil, hungry smirk. _

"_You're…you're dead!" she cried, as she noticed that they were on the bridge of his massive ship. He leaned in pulled her uncomfortably close and spoke in her ear. _

"_I'm not as dead as you'd like me to be, my sweet," he hissed. She tried to pull away, but to no avail, for his grip was like a vice._

"_You're not free of me and you never will be," he rasped, as his teeth skated along her neck, making her skin crawl. _

"_I will have you and your husband's powers. You will be mine," Sifo-Dyas growled, as he held her hips. Padme whimpered and struggled to get away._

"_Even if for now, I can only have you in the realm of dreams," he hissed, as she felt his hand on the zipper of her dress. She screamed in terror. _

~*~

"Padme…Padme, wake up," Anakin pleaded, as he shook her screaming, trembling form.

"Angel please…wake up," he pleaded again, as he took her in her arms and she finally opened her eyes with a start. She looked up at him and then collapsed into sobs against his bare chest. He gently rocked her and stroked her beautiful hair. Nightmares that caused her to wake up screaming were not exactly something new. He had held her like this quite a few nights, especially early on in their marriage. He loved her endlessly and his world revolved around her. But before they were together, Padme's life had been hell. She had first been abused as a small child by her evil stepfather and later brutally raped twice by Palo. It would take much less than that to break most women. But not his sweet, beautiful angel. She was so strong and it still amazed him. But from time to time, the memories still haunted her. However, he was about to find out that this nightmare had nothing to do with Ruwee or Palo. He kissed her forehead, as her crying slowed to sniffles and he held her tearstained face in his hands.

"Oh Anakin…" she cried.

"Shh…it's okay, angel. I'm here and they can't hurt you anymore. They're dead," he soothed. She sniffed.

"It wasn't them," she replied, referring to Ruwee and Palo. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"Who was the dream about?" he asked.

"Ani, I think Sifo-Dyas…is alive," she stated. He was silent for a moment.

"He…he can't be. I watched him burn to death. I hit him with a concentrated sphere of pure Force energy. He couldn't have survived that," Anakin replied.

"Ani…something happened before you rescued us. I was going to wait to tell you after we had a good night's sleep. But it obviously can't wait," she replied.

"What happened?" he asked.

"After Bane took us prisoner, he brought me before the comm station," she said, recalling the memory, as she described it to him.

~*~

_Flashback…"I have her, as promised. I expect compensation for her capture," Bane said to the blank screen. Padme saw no one, but then heard a female voice._

"_Yes, these images captures of her will please the Master immensely. However, I believe you are about to have company. We shall seek another opportunity to capture his Queen_," _the female voice rasped._

~*~

Dread filled Anakin, as he listened to her description of the events.

"I didn't see anyone on the screen, but I felt eyes on me. Someone was watching me," she said. Anakin silently contemplated the reality that Sifo-Dyas could be alive.

"If Sifo-Dyas is alive…then I've failed as a husband," Anakin said, as he climbed out of bed. Padme quickly followed him and latched onto his arm.

"No…don't you dare blame yourself for this. We were both there and we both saw him dying. If he is alive, then what kind of condition could he be in?" she asked. He pondered that for a moment, before she continued.

"His people are so devoted that they fished his half decayed body out of Naboo's ocean, resuscitated him, and built him a new body. They could be doing the same thing this time," Padme suggested.

"Then everything we went through on Falleen two years ago was for nothing," Anakin relented.

"That's not true and you know it. You unlocked that power for a reason and it will be enough to defeat him next time, because I know you'll make absolutely sure that he's gone forever," Padme reasoned. He nodded.

"You're right, I will. Because he's never going to lay a hand on you again," Anakin said sternly. She took his hands in her own and kissed him softly.

"I know that you'll protect me. I've never doubted that and I never will. But you cannot keep blaming yourself for his actions. You are not responsible for his evil ways. I don't know why he has such a perverse interest in me, but it's not your fault," she told him.

"I know…it's just hard for me to accept that even with all my powers, I'm not able to stop any harm from coming to you," he said.

"But I'm here, so I think you're doing a pretty great job, my handsome protector," she replied. He gave her a half smirk, as he relaxed a little, which is exactly what she wanted.

"Come on, let's go back to bed and maybe you can give me better things to dream about," she suggested sultrily, as she started to turn. But she shouldn't have been surprised when he swept her into his arms.

"Oh, I definitely am going to give you something very nice to dream about," he promised. She bit her bottom lip playfully, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He laid his beautiful wife on their bed and joined her, as their lips met and passion erupted between them.

~*~

Sometime later, Padme lay cuddled atop his chest, as they bathed in the afterglow of an amazing bout of lovemaking.

"Angel…are you okay?" he asked. She smiled.

"Of course. I'm always okay when I'm with you. Better than okay," she replied. He looked at her, waiting for her to be completely honest. And her face finally scrunched, as she started crying.

"I…don't want him in my head," she sobbed. He held her tightly and kissed her hair.

"And I will do everything I have to in order to make sure that he is soon unable to penetrate your mind in your sleep," Anakin stated. She sniffed.

"How?" she asked.

"You can start meditating with me and it will build up your mind shields. And it will also allow me to intervene psychologically if I have to. If we meditate together, I can train myself to sense the distress in your mind, even when I'm sleeping," Anakin replied.

"You can do that?" she questioned. He smiled, and gently wiped her tears away.

"Because of our connection, I can. Eventually, you'll be able to block him out of your dreams completely. But until then, I'll do what I must to chase your nightmares away," he said.

"You always do. I love you," she said.

"I love you too and you were amazing, by the way. Most men only dream of having sex like we just did," he replied. She smiled playfully.

"Are you surprised that I can be such a little vixen," she teased.

"No…but it didn't make it any less amazing," he replied, as they settled in each others arms, as sleep finally took them again.


	8. Part 8 of 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 8! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Blood Ties: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 8/8

Sifo-Dyas' eyes snapped open and he clenched his teeth in anger, before snapping his eyes shut again. And he didn't like what he found now. In his short time exploring the realm of dreams, which was normally a realm that usually only existed in one single person's subconscious, he had learned much. For one like him, with extensive knowledge in the Force, he possessed the ability to travel and manipulate the subconscious state of others. And there was only one mind he was interested in. Being nearly and almost completely disembodied at the present time left the realm of her dreams the only way to exert some kind of control or power over anything or anyone. For him right now, that was crucial, because he was so used to being in control. But he his life at the moment consisted of floating in a vat of bacta all day and everyday. So if he could not yet physically claim his Queen, then he would claim her dreams for his own. And he had been doing just that, until Skywalker had interfered again. He seethed angrily. Just moments ago, he had her in his grasp. And she was everything he had imagined and more. A goddess she was and one he would claim, even if it wasn't real at the moment. But it felt so real. She had screamed and cried, as he pinned her beneath him. She clawed and fought and it only made him want her more.

"_I told you I would have you,"_ he hissed at her. She was hysterical, screaming for her husband to save her. But Anakin couldn't save her. This was a dream, or so he thought. Once again, he had underestimated the power of their love and connection. In the blink of an eye, the whole dream changed. She was in Anakin's arms and he was cast out somehow. Anakin had intervened and the most traumatizing part of the dream had been erased. He had pulled her from the dream before he could cement a hold on her mind and it had expunged his horrid acts from her memory. She only remembered being captured by him and almost being raped. But he remembered it. He remembered everything. And he felt unimaginable power in her presence. She was more than the key to the power of the Chosen One; she was the embodiment of it. Taking her had been far more thrilling than he had imagined. It was no wonder that Skywalker was so possessive of her. No wonder why so many were drawn to her and so many had tried to claim her. He would have that power! She would produce him an heir! He would have her and the galaxy would be in the palm of his hand! He had her and then the Chosen One had intervened, ripping her away again. He would have entered her dreams again, but when he closed his eyes again and connected to the realm of her subconscious, he was enraged by what he found. His goddess, clothed in a billowy white gown, was concealed from his behind a barrier. A mind barrier. He seethed in rage. Skywalker had interfered again and was now protecting his beloved, even in her dreams.

"_This is not over Anakin. She will be mine,"_ Sifo-Dyas growled.

"_No, she will never be yours. I will fight you till my dying breath to protect her from your evil!"_ Anakin called back, as his light forced him out completely.

~*~

Sifo-Dyas' seethed angrily and thrashed in the bacta tank. The sensors began to beep in warning, as it read his vitals went off the charts.

"Master…you must calm down! Your heart rate is dangerously high!" Talga warned.

"What's going on?!" Taurek demanded.

"The Master is very agitated," Talga reported.

"Taurek, I must study and consult my Sith holocrons," Sifo-Dyas ordered.

"At once Master," Taurek replied, as his fingers flew over the console. He entered the lengthy, complicated code into the computer and accessed his Master's most secret files.

"That will be all, Talga," he said sternly, before any information appeared on the screen. She bowed curtly and left.

"I need everything the holocrons can tell me about the possibilities for a disembodied Force spirit," Sifo-Dyas ordered.

"At once, My Master," Taurek obeyed.

~*~

Being that it had almost been five a.m. when they went to bed and sleep had been interrupted by a nightmare only two hours later, it was mid afternoon when they woke up.

"Wow…I can't believe how late we slept," Padme said, as she stretched.

"Well, it was almost dawn when we went to bed," he replied.

"We should clean up and eat. We have a certain young lady that we must have a very long talk with," Padme said. he held her back from getting up.

"And we will, but first I need to know if you're all right," he told her. She nodded.

"Thanks to you. I still don't and never will understand his sick obsession with me. I…I still can't believe that he could be alive," she replied.

"Me either, but I won't let him win and I won't let him haunt your dreams. The next time we meet, I'll make sure I finish him for good and he knows it," Anakin said.

"I know you will and he'll regret every crossing paths with us," she added. He smiled and kissed her tenderly.

"Come on, let's clean up and then go feed the kids," he said, as they went to the fresher.

~*~

When Anakin and Padme entered the kitchen, they were pleasantly surprised to see that Elana and Yan were there. Elana had cooked lunch and the kids were all eating.

"We thought it would be nice to come help with lunch after such an awful ordeal last night. We figured the two of you needed a little extra sleep," Elana said knowingly, as she greeted them with hugs.

"Thank you Grandmother," Padme said gratefully.

"No thanks needed sweetie. Now sit down and eat," Elana told them.

"I'll join you in a minute," Anakin told them, as Padme sat down with their kids. Yan followed Anakin out to the veranda, getting the indication that his grandson needed to speak with him.

"You're troubled. What is it?" Yan asked. Anakin turned to look at him.

"Padme and I think…Sifo-Dyas may be alive," Anakin announced. Shock registered on his weathered face.

"How is that possible?" he questioned.

"I don't know. There must have enough left of him for his soul to cling to and his remains must have been recovered, before Falleen exploded. And now, last night, he invaded Padme's dreams. I had to sever his hold on her mind and she woke up screaming," Anakin said.

"The only way for him to completely invade and bond to one's mind is if his spirit had been disembodied," Yan responded.

"What does that mean?" Anakin asked.

"That he has no mobile body right now. It takes a very powerful Force adept to do what he did to Padme. What remains of him must be in a stasis of some kind. The Force is the only means of making his presence known," Dooku said.

"I'm going to teach Padme how to shield her mind from him. I just wish I knew where he was and I'd go and make sure for certain he could never haunt us again," Anakin said.

"Perhaps Bane knows something," Dooku suggested.

"If he does, then I will find out what it is. But I'm doubtful they would have informed Bane of their location," Anakin replied. Dooku put his hand on Anakin's shoulder.

"Until then, go be with your family," Yan said. Anakin nodded and headed back to the kitchen.

"You will not continue to plague the galaxy and this family with your evil, Sifo-Dyas. We will stop you again and this time will be for good," Yan said.

~*~

After they enjoyed lunch together as a family, Yan and Elana left, taking four of the kids with them to the Temple. Anakin and Padme would be joining them soon. But first, they were sitting down to have a talk with their eldest daughter.

As Leia sat down on the sofa, she reflected on her recent behavior with shame and regret. She had been a spoiled, selfish brat in recent weeks. Her ego had gotten out of control and she had treated the people that loved her most with unkindness and disrespect. Add to that, she had then proceeded to disobey and deliberately defy her loving parents. And then she had put her entire family in danger when she was kidnapped by Bane from the club where she wasn't supposed to be in the first place. And if all that wasn't bad enough, her parents weren't nearly as mad as she thought they should be. It was ten times worse than that. They were disappointed in her. Her mother sat beside her, as her father sat in a chair across from her.

"Your mother and I talked a lot this morning about a fair punishment and we agreed to ground you from all social activities and from use of the comm station for two months," Anakin announced. Leia nodded mutely.

"But we're not going to just dish out this punishment without explaining to you exactly why," Anakin continued.

"Sweetheart, we know that you're trying to fit in desperately at your new school, because you're not like them. And as much as you might want to be normal like all the other kids, you're not. But that just means that you're special and our family is very different from other families. And we know that can't always be easy when you're a teenager. You might think that your father and I don't understand, but we do and we want you to know that you can always talk to us about anything," Padme told her. Leia nodded and sniffed.

"I'm so sorry for acting the way I did. I…I thought I wanted to fit in with them, but I learned that, except for Jake, they're all stuck up, mean snobs that don't know anything about love. They say things about our family, because they're really jealous and they don't understand us. I'm proud to be a Skywalker," Leia said. Anakin and Padme shared a smile. Their little Princess was back.

"And we're proud that you're our daughter," Padme replied.

"You are?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course we are. We're not proud of your recent actions, but we'll always be proud of you, Princess," Anakin replied.

"In the future, we just ask that you respect our decisions when we tell you not to go somewhere at least until you're old enough. The Coruscant nightlife isn't very safe," Padme said. Leia nodded.

"I promise," she replied, as she bit her bottom lip.

"So after I'm not grounded anymore, can I still date Jake?" Leia asked. Anakin's face soured.

"You really like him?" Padme asked. Leia nodded.

"I do. He stood up to his friends for me too," Leia added.

"Well, he seems nice and as long as he agrees to take you only to places we've approved first, then I don't see why not. What do you think Ani?" Padme asked.

"I'm not his biggest fan, Princess. He can't protect you if he needs to. That's important to me," Anakin stated.

"I know Daddy, but he's really nice and he treats me well. That's important too, isn't it?" she asked, batting her brown eyes at him. Padme had to hold back a giggle, as Leia used her "Daddy's little girl" magic on her husband and she wasn't surprised to see his firm front fade in an instant. Anakin sighed.

"I guess if you really like him, then it's okay if you see him. But I'm going to have a talk with him before he takes you out next time," Anakin replied. Leia nodded excitedly. She was glad she was going to get to still see Jake, but her brief kiss that she shared with Han was present in her mind and had been edging out her thoughts about Jake since it happened. But she banished those thoughts when she had them.

"Now, come here and give me hug," Anakin requested. Leia did so and Padme smiled, as she joined them in a group hug. About that time, Artoo arrived on the veranda with Anakin's favorite silver, open cockpit speeder per his request.

"Come on, let's get to the Temple. I have a sleamo bounty hunter to interrogate," Anakin said, as they piled into the speeder and headed for the Temple.

~*~

Anakin entered the interrogation room. Qui-Gon stood calmly in the corner, quietly contemplating the news he'd heard about Sifo-Dyas possibly being alive. Anakin glared at the back of Bane's head and the bounty hunter seemed to feel his gaze.

"I'm not afraid of you, Skywalker," Bane growled. Anakin's eyes flashed gold for a split second and he kicked Bane's chair out from under him. The bounty hunter cried out, as he hit his chin on the table before falling unceremoniously to the floor. Bane watched, as the metal chair floated into the air and then crashed into the wall above his head, before clanging to the floor in a twisted heap of durasteel.

"I told you that your parlor tricks won't scare me into talking," Bane spat, clearly unnerved now. Anakin smirked.

"Parlor tricks? You wound me, bounty hunter. But I have another one to show you," Anakin goaded. Bane watched and couldn't hide his amazement, as a tiny golden sphere of what could only be described as pure, crackling Force energy appeared in the palm of his hand. The energy grew slightly in size until it was the size of his palm.

"One hell of a parlor trick, isn't it?" Anakin joked. Bane glared at him.

"The one that killed Sifo-Dyas was only slightly bigger than this one…or so I thought," Anakin said, as he slowly approached the bounty hunter.

"But I've discovered that the bastard is alive and you're going to tell me what you know about that!" Anakin growled. Bane clenched his teeth and stared back in defiance.

"And if I don't, what are you going to do, pretty boy? Kill me with all your power? Hardly a fair fight, don't you think?" Bane spat. Anakin smirked again, as the power sphere in his palm faded.

"No…death is too good for you. As promised, I'll just melt your brains with a mind probe. By the time I'm done, you'll have an I.Q. of two and they'll have to feed you through a tube," Anakin retorted.

"Or you can talk and just go to prison for the rest of your miserable life. Your choice. But here's a taste of the pain of one of my mind probes," Anakin said. Bane screamed in agony and held his head for what was suddenly the longest and most excruciating two seconds of his life. His legs gave out and he writhed on the floor from the after effects. Anakin grabbed the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"Now talk. Tell me what you know about Sifo-Dyas," Anakin demanded.

"If you know that he's alive, then you know as much as I do!" Bane spat.

"Where is he?" Anakin questioned.

"How the hell do you think I know something like that?!" Bane screamed. Anakin shoved him and he hit the table, as he fell painfully to the floor.

"You were going to kidnap my wife for him. His lackeys must have told you to take her somewhere," Anakin stated.

"They didn't. They said if I managed to make if off Coruscant with her, they would give me a location at that time, but that never happened," Bane rasped.

"Yeah, you're lucky to still be breathing after touching her and my daughter," Anakin retorted. Bane scoffed.

"If you ask me, she seems like more trouble than she's worth. I will never understand why men seem to lose their minds over her, though she had quite a hold over you that happens to be a very exploitable weakness. But she's still too much trouble if you ask me, even for a pretty little face and a tight body like hers," Bane goaded.

"Well, I wouldn't expect you too. You're just a low life scum laden bounty hunter for hire. Like you could actually understand or appreciate a beautiful complex woman like my Padme. You have no heart and therefore, you don't know love. For that, you should be pitied," Anakin goaded back. Bane snarled, as the door opened. Ferus waited with stun cuffs.

"Enjoy prison, because that's where you're going to be for the rest of your worthless life," Anakin said, as the bounty hunter was cuffed and led back to his cell.

~*~

Talga continued to monitor her Master's vitals, as he delved deeply in to the dark side of the Force.

"Commander, if I may say, what the Master is doing is very risky. If he were to lose focus during transference, he could become unable to reconnect with his physical form and his spirit would be permanently disembodied," Talga said.

"The Master knows what he is doing," Taurek snapped, as he walked to the console. "The Master's new body is at least three more years in the making. He is not someone who can remain sentient for so long. When he wants something, nothing, not even his current state, can stop him. Meanwhile, that fool, Iceheart, has possession of the Master's ultimate weapon. She could ruin everything. But through transference, the Master can manipulate his chosen pawns to ensure things go his way," Taurek stated.

"Pawns?" she asked.

"The weak minded are easy to possess if one knows how. And the Master has studied this sort of thing all his adult life. The foolish Prince Draxun of the Falleen will give him influence over an angry army of survivors and access to the Death Star. Boba Fett will allow him to interact with the galaxy's most dangerous and brilliant criminals and plot against the Republic, as well as Ysanne too. And finally, Senator Clovis can give him a seat in the Senate and close proximity to his Queen. He can undermine them all and they'll never suspect anything until it is too late," Taurek stated.

"Then everything will fall into place as it should and the Master shall soon be the galaxy's supreme ruler," Talga replied.

"Yes…nothing can stop us this time," Taurek added.

~*~

Padme ended a frustrating call with an irate politcian with an annoyed huff. She had decided to work in her office she kept at the Temple for just a little while and had started by going through her messages. Angry delegates wasn't anything new to her, especially from Nubia, another planet in her sector. Ship building and production made up nearly eighty percent of Nubia's economy so there was constant debate surrounding the rocky industry. Padme was no fan of the Nubian King, who she had described in the past as a greedy, selfish tyrant. He often raised fees without raising labor wages, causing mass dissention among his people. Being Senator of the Chommel sector, Padme was often the litigator between the King and the Queen of Naboo, who was of course, her niece. When Pooja had cited evidence of the King's recent money laundering, Padme had sent a team of impromptu auditors and investigators to launch an inquest. And they did not report findings that she was pleased with. She ordered parliament to implement stronger sanctions on Nubia's financial transactions and promised surprise audits. And the King was livid about her proposal to Nubia's parliament for wage increases for the working people. She let him yell and scream at her for interfering, even though Naboo sustained Nubia's economy with the purchase and ordering of ships and vehicles. After his little tirade, Padme cut the transmission. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him. She decided to go find Anakin, guessing that he would probably soon be done dealing with Bane. As she stood, she suddenly felt an eerie chill and she shivered violently. Unbeknownst to her, Sifo-Dyas' Force spirit shimmered into sight behind her. He would haunt her this way and stalk her through his future pawns. He would prey on her weariness and when the time was right, she would be ripe for his claiming. Just as she was about to turn and find him gazing upon her, he felt Anakin's bright Force presence approaching. He snarled and disappeared. Padme shivered again, as the hair on the back of her neck rose. She touched her neck and looked all around the room.

"Padme…are you okay?" he asked, as he entered, noticing the puzzled look on her face. She turned to her husband and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just really cold in here," Padme replied.

"It is. That's really odd, because it's about ten degrees warmer out there," he said, as he touched her arms and they were like ice.

"Angel, you're freezing. No wonder you're shivering," he said, as he pulled her close.

"You're so warm," she said, cuddling against his chest. He smiled.

"Come on, let's go home," he suggested. She nodded. There was nothing she would rather do than go home and spent the evening with her loving husband and wonderful children.

~*~

Leia calmly approached her cousin, who was with Lando.

"Ryoo…I'm really sorry about last night. I was a brat and I got us into a lot of danger that I could have avoided by staying home like I was supposed to," Leia said regrettably.

"It's okay, we know you didn't mean to get us all kidnapped. It just happened. I just hope you learned a very big lesson from all this," Ryoo replied.

"I did, believe me," Leia said, as Ryoo hugged her.

"Good. So how long did you get grounded for?" Ryoo asked.

"Two months and I deserve it. Mara got grounded for a month and I feel really bad. I owe her big time," Leia answered.

"Yes, you definitely deserve it," Ryoo agreed.

"Thanks a lot," Leia replied sarcastically.

"And I'm sure Mara is still your best friend and she doesn't hold it against you," Ryoo assured her. Leia nodded.

"Hey...did Han come with you guys?" Leia asked curiously.

"Han left this morning," Lando replied.

"He left?" Leia asked in surprise.

"Yeah, he's been working on his ship for quite some time now and he left to do some traveling. My Dad is totally against it, but Han's pretty set on doing a little rebelling himself," Lando replied. sadness washed over her face, as their brief kiss replayed in her mind.

"Leia, are you okay?" Ryoo asked.

"Yeah," she replied quickly.

"The nerf could have said goodbye, but I shouldn't be surprised that he didn't. I think my parents are getting ready to leave. See you later," Leia said quickly.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Lando asked, puzzled. Ryoo shrugged.

"It's hard to say with Leia," she replied.

~*~

"Padme…your office said you were here," Rush said, as he pulled his speeder beside theirs on the landing pad at the Temple. Leia was disappointed to see that Jake wasn't with his Uncle. Padme was surprised to see him there too.

"Hello Rush, what brings you here?" she asked politely.

"Well, Senator Breemu wanted you to look over this proposal and she didn't think it could wait, so she asked if I would bring it to you here," Rush replied. Padme was unsure what his motives were, but she was positive that he had probably asked Bana if he could bring it to her and not the other way like he had suggested.

"Thank you. I'll take a look at it tonight," Padme replied, as he handed her the datapad. In the process, their hands brushed and the look on Clovis' face was one of pure delight that almost frightened her.

"_What in the world has gotten into him?"_ she wondered silently. As he saw Anakin coming, he got back into his speeder.

"I'll see you tomorrow during session. Good evening, Padme," he said, as he flew off.

"What did he want?" Anakin asked.

"Just to give me this proposal from Senator Breemu," Padme replied. Anakin rolled his eyes.

"I wonder how long he had to beg Bana to let him bring that to you," Anakin said sarcastically.

"I wish he would just leave you alone. He always finds ways to be around you. It borders on stalking, you know," Anakin added. Padme took his hands in her own.

"He's annoying, yet harmless. And you know that you're the only man I want," she reminded him.

"Yes, I do, but it doesn't change the fact that I'd like to Force choke him," Anakin replied. she smiled.

"And what have I told you about Force choking?" she questioned.

"Force choking is bad," he recited half heartedly.

"It is, so no Force choking. Now, let's go eat. I'm starving," she replied.

"Who's up for Dex's?" he called to their kids, who promptly replied with a chorus of "me's". he helped Padme into the speeder and leaned down, kissing her tenderly. She smiled at him, as he went around to the other side of the speeder and got into the driver's seat. The speeder lifted into the air and they went sailing into traffic toward Coco Town to visit their favorite diner and their good friend Dex.

~*~

Sifo-Dyas cackled, as he returned to his immobile, physical form and gained the attention of his charges.

"Are you all right, My Master?" Taurek asked.

"Oh yes Taurek, everything is perfect. Manipulating these pawns will be painfully easy and I can see that things go my way. Ysanne has her people working hard on the Death Star and I estimate it will be about two years before it is complete. That gives me ample time to manipulate everything. And no one shall suspect anything at all, until it is much too late…

_That's it for this vignette! I will begin working on the next one very soon and it will begin two years after the end of this one. Then that will be the last time skip for quite some time, for I have many events in mind. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!_


End file.
